TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The amount of noble metal in the catalyst is about 0.1 wt.% to about 10 wt.%, preferably about 1 wt.%. The amount of promoter in the catalyst is about 0.001 wt.% to about 0.5 wt.%; the amount of promoter in the catalyst is about 0.01 wt.% to about 0.1 wt.%; or the amount of promoter in the catalyst is about 0.02 wt.% to about 0.05 wt.%. The catalyst comprises 0.1 wt.% to about 10 wt.% ruthenium as active phase on activated carbon, where the ruthenium is doped with about 0.01 wt.% to about 0.5 wt.% phosphorus. Preferred Components: The noble metal comprises ruthenium (preferred), platinum, palladium, or its alloys. The promoter comprises phosphorus. The solid support comprises one selected from activated carbon (preferred), titania, zirconia, ceria, modified silica-based materials, ordered mesoporous silica, and its mixtures. The noble metal precursor comprises at least one salt of a noble metal selected from chlorides, nitrates and acetylacetonates of ruthenium, platinum, palladium, or its alloys. It comprises or consists of ruthenium chloride. The catalyst promoter precursor comprises one selected from diammonium hydrogen phosphate, ammonium phosphate, monoammonium dihydrogen phosphate, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphoric acid, phosphorous acid, and its mixtures. It comprises or consists of ammonium hydrogen phosphate. The solid support comprises one selected from activated carbon, titania, zirconia, ceria, modified silica-based materials, ordered mesoporous silica, and its mixtures. Preferred Process: The solid support is impregnated with the noble metal precursor prior to impregnation with the catalyst promoter precursor. The impregnated solid support is dried in air at a temperature of about 373 K. The dried impregnated solid support is calcined in an inert gas environment; or the dried impregnated solid support is calcined at a temperature of about 623 to about 850 K. Forming the catalyst further involves reducing the calcined solid support in a hydrogen gas environment at a temperature of about 600K to about 950K. In hydrodeoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis oil, the biomass pyrolysis oil is obtained by fast pyrolysis of biomass.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The biomass pyrolysis oil comprises compounds from thermal decomposition of lignocellulose, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, or its mixtures. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.