By the chemical reduction method, a series of Co-B catalysts were prepared by changing the concentration of the cobalt acetate precursor and used for liquid hydrogenation of ethyl lactate to 1,2-propanediol. The reaction conditions were discussed. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by means of physical adsorption (BET), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that all the fresh catalysts showed an amorphous structure, and the thermal stability of the amorphous catalyst increased with increasing the concentration of the cobalt acetate precursor solution. The BET results show that all the catalysts were mesoporous structure. The conversion of ethyl lactate was up to 98.53%, the yield of 1,2-propanediol was 98.32% under the optimum conditions of 160℃, H2 pressure 6 MPa for 9h.