Woodceramics, a carbon/carbon composite of plant-originated carbon reinforced by glassy carbon from phenolic resin, was prepared from apple pomace at carbonizing temperatures of 1073 K (AWC800) and 1473 K (AWC 1200), and characterized by thermoanalytical methods and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) showed complicated overlapping reactions similar to those of coal. The initial temperature of pyrolysis was obtained by fitting logistic functions to observed TG data. The results suggested that AWC1200 contained more volatile matter than AWC800. In an inert atmosphere, complicated devolatilization takes place. In an oxidizing atmosphere, thermal change occurs roughly in four steps: desorption of physically adsorbed matter; pyrolysis into aliphatic and aromatic fragments; ignition; combustion of char. The oxidation resistance of AWC1200 was superior to AWC800. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.