Activity of palladium catalysts on different crystalline and amorphous supports was studied using hydrogenation of 1-phenylethenylphosphonic acid with molecular hydrogen as an example. Nanoscale Pd0 deposited on the surface of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) supported on microparticles of titanium oxide has proved the highest efficiency. The starting acid was quantitatively reduced for 1 h in the presence of this catalyst, 11 cycles of hydrogenation were carried out without loss of catalytic activity. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.