Mesoporous carbons were directly prepared from coal liquefaction residue (CLR) by KOH activation, and used as catalysts for catalytic methane decomposition (CMD). The CLR was separated into five fractions, including oil, asphaltene, preasphaltene, complex carbon matrix and mineral matter, by Soxhlet extraction and demineralization. The effect of these fractions on the texture and catalytic activities of the resultant carbons for CMD was investigated. The results show that the organic matters alone are conducive to developing microporous structures with poor catalytic performance. In contrast, although the effect of the mineral matter in the CLR on the activity for CMD is negligible, with the synergistic effect of the mineral matter, the resultant carbon is of a mesoporous structure and shows higher and more stable activity for CMD than commercial coal-based activated carbon and carbon black BP2000, even superior to metal catalyst Fe/SBA-15. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.