A carbon coated monolith was modified by different oxidative treatments to introduce different oxygen surface groups. Three kinds of liquid oxidizing agents (HNO3, H2SO4 and H2O2) were used at different temperatures and residence times. The resulted oxidized activated carbon coatings were impregnated with 3% V wt on carbon and tested for the SCR of NO with NH3 in a temperature range of 150-350 degrees C. The performance of the carbon coated catalysts was assessed by characterization of supports and catalysts through their textural and chemistry surface properties. In this sense, regarding the preparation of the catalysts, oxidation process plays itself a promoting role in the formation of oxygen surface groups that to a certain extent improves the catalytic activity. Inorganic acid, especially HNO3 oxidation increases mainly the carboxyl and lactone groups whereas H2O2 oxidation significantly increases oxygen surface groups attributed to phenol, and carbonyl/quinine groups. Generally, NO reduction activity is increased when fresh catalyst surface acidity increases and vanadium is doped on it. HNO3 oxidized samples are able to fix higher amounts of vanadium in comparison to other oxidized monoliths. This fact can be attributed to the fact that the fresh catalyst surface acidity caused by the HNO3 oxidation has a promoting role to favour well anchored and distributed vanadium onto its surface. Oxidation as well as vanadium impregnation process decrease BET surface area and micropore volume of supports. However, the chemistry surface developed for the oxidation process seems to be much more important promoting SCR activity and consequently a higher catalytic activity is observed for oxidized samples. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.