Pt-WOx on monoclinic or tetrahedral ZrO2: Crystal phase effect of zirconia on glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,3-propanediol

•Crystal phase effects of ZrO2 on the Pt–WOx/ZrO2 catalysts were studied.•Tetrahedral ZrO2 (t-ZrO2) was superior to monoclinic ZrO2 (m-ZrO2) in dispersing Pt.•Using t-ZrO2 as the support also led to more Brønsted acid sites.•Pt–WOx/t-ZrO2 converted glycerol to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) in higher efficiency.•The underlying reason for the enhanced catalytic performance was elucidated.