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[Display omitted] • Attapulgite-based MCM-41 zeolite supported Ni-Nb catalysts were manufactured. • L-lysine addition increased the void structures and specific surface area of LAMZ. • Nb addition improved catalyst reducibility, surface acidity and metal dispersion. • 5Ni-1Nb/LAMZ exhibited excellent anti-coking and anti-sintering properties. • 5Ni-1Nb/LAMZ could maintain high activity during 55-hours AASR reaction. Acetic acid steam reforming (AASR) was generally considered as one of the promising technologies for hydrogen production. In this work, the L-lysine-assisted attapulgite-based MCM-41 zeolite (LAMZ) was successfully synthesized by using attapulgite-derived silicon source and the LAMZ-supported Ni-Nb (xNi-yNb/LAMZ) catalysts were prepared via conventional impregnation method. The effects of LAMZ and Nb content on regulating the microstructures and properties of Ni-based catalysts were investigated by various characterizations. Results revealed that the addition of L-lysine could contribute to forming more void structures and increasing specific surface area of LAMZ support, which was beneficial for promoting the dispersion of active sites and enhancing the metal-support interaction. Additionally, Nb optimized the reduction of Ni, increased the concentration of surface-active Ni species, improved the strength of surface Lewis acid and promoted the formation of Ni-NbO x interfaces. Amongst, 5Ni-1Nb/LAMZ exhibited the highest surface Ni0 sites and Ni-NbO x interfaces, which further induces the generation of V O generation and the flow of lattice oxygen. Therefore, the 5Ni-1Nb/LAMZ catalyst presented the highest acetic acid conversion (82.1 %) and hydrogen yield (69.9 %) at reaction conditions of reaction temperature = 750 °C, S/C = 3, WHSV = 19.96 h−1, furthermore, it almost no any inactivation during 55 h of AASR. Additionally, the characterization results of spent catalysts confirmed that 5Ni-Nb/LAMZ possess high coke resistance and anti-sinter capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]