A novel catalyst has been developed based on cobalt oxide supported mesoporous carbon spheres (MCSs) for the catalytic combustion of ethylene (C2H4). Owing to the unique and well-developed 3D mesoporous structure, the cobalt oxide could be homogenously dispersed on the carbon framework at nanoscale dimensions. The cobalt oxide loaded on MCSs is detected to be in the form of CoO owing to the reduction effect of the carbon support. The MCSs support could facilitate the oxidation ability of CoO, involving more active oxygen species on the catalyst surface. The MCSs supported CoO catalyst could convert 1000 ppm C2H4 completely at 185 degrees C, exhibiting a highest catalytic performance among the synthesized catalysts. The reaction order and active energy for C2H4 oxidation are determined to be 0.44 and 79.2 kJ/mol, respectively. A GHSV study and a stability test further indicate that the MCSs supported Coo catalyst possesses high catalytic activity and stable catalytic performance for low concentration C2H4, which could benefit for the industrial application of the catalyst in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.