The role of external acidity of meso-/microporous zeolites in determining selectivity for acid-catalyzed reactions of benzyl alcohol

•Morphology and acidity of hybrid lamellar-bulk MFI (HLBM) zeolite were studied.•Product selectivity was tailored by tuning surface area and acidity of HLBM zeolite.•Implication of external acid sites on catalysis was studied in parallel reactions.•Cumulative organic base titration revealed role of external acidity with variable strengths.•Catalytic behavior of meso-/microporous zeolite is not merely affected by transport and active site accessibility.