Catalyst supports in bead form having a porosity of more than 60 percent formed by suspending finely divided silicate and/or silica fillers, carbonates, metal oxides and hydroxides compatible with a silica sol, in a silica sol so that the total weight of the solids is at least 50 percent by weight based on the silica content of the silica sol, dispersing the resulting mixture into drops of the required size, gelling the drops in a water-immiscible medium, separating the resulting granulate from the medium, subjecting the granulate to a heat treatment at 100* to 800* C, and subsequent acid treatment to remove a major portion of the cations, and washing the acid treated granulates.