This paper reports a model of fluidized bed thermo-catalytic decomposition (TCD) of methane. The novelty of the model consists of taking into account the occurrence of different competitive phenomena: methane catalytic decomposition, catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposition on the catalyst particles and their reactivation by means of carbon attrition. Comparison between theoretical and experimental data shows the car-ability of the present model to predict methane conversion and deactivation time during the process. The model demonstrates to be also a useful tool to investigate the role played by operative parameters such as fluidizing gas velocity, temperature, size and type of the catalyst. In particular, the model results have been finalized to characterize the attrition phenomena as a novel strategy in catalyst regeneration. (c) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.