An ilmenite oxygen carrier was tested in a laboratory scale chemical-looping reactor with a nominal thermal capacity of 300 Wth. Ilmenite is a mineral iron-titanium oxide, which has been used extensively as an oxygen carrier in chemical-looping combustion. Two different kinds of fuels were used, a sulfur-free kerosene and one kerosene that contained 0.57 mass% sulfur. Both fuels were continuously evaporated and directly fed into the chemical-looping reactor. Experiments were conducted for 50 h with the sulfur-free kerosene and for 30 h with the sulfurous kerosene. CO2 yields above 99% were achieved with both types of fuel. A significant and lasting improvement in the oxygen carrier's reactivity was observed, presumably an effect of using sulfurous kerosene. No evidence of sulfur was found on the particles' surface. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.