Catalytic combustion of toluene on silica supported Pd, Pd-Cu and Cu catalysts has been investigated. The solids were prepared by the impregnation method and they were characterized by evaluation of surface area, metal dispersion and surface composition. The reaction was studied under stoichiometric conditions in the presence and absence of thiophene as poison. It was found that the presence of copper reduces the activity due to a copper-palladium interaction, which modifies the nature of the active site. The monometallic Pd and the bimetallic Pd-Cu catalysts showed high resistance to the sulfur poisoning