Activated carbons were used as catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene, The type and amount of functional groups on the surface of the carbon catalysts was modified by oxidative treatments in the gas or in the liquid phase, while heat treatments at different temperatures were used to selectively remove some of the functional groups. The performance of these catalysts was evaluated in terms of conversion, styrene yield and selectivity. The results show that the gas phase treatments lead to improved performance associated with an increase in the amount of carbonyl/quinone groups on the surface, which were identified as the active sites for the reaction. A good correlation between catalytic activity and the concentration of these surface groups was obtained.