We have investigated the comparable performance of raw and ash-free coal in the operation of a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC). The various structural and morphological analyses using SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, XRD, and TGA are carried out to study the distinct physicochemical properties of coals. Due to contained volatile organic compounds, raw coal generates about a two-fold higher fuel cell performance compare to ash-free coal below a reaction temperature of 750 degrees C. However, over a cell temperature of 900 degrees C, both of them reach a similar power density of 170 mW cm(-2). In the long-term operation of a DCFC, we observe a distinctly more durable power performance using ash-free coal than that of raw coal. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.