Aluminum spinels, MAl 2 O 4 with M 2+ = Cu, Zn or Ni, were prepared by citrate method and its reactivity in the ethanol steam reforming reaction was studied at 500°C. They were characterized by TG, BET surface area, XRD, FTIR and TPR techniques. The catalytic behavior depended strongly on the nature of divalent metal which determines the physico-chemical properties of samples. In all cases, very active catalysts with a complete ethanol conversion were reached. Hydrogen yield follows the order of ZnAl > NiAl > CuAl.