A gas-fired coal preheating (GFCP) technology, offering a flexible method to reduce NOx, could be used with other de-NOx combustion technology such as air staging to seek maximum NOx reduction. The preheating chamber key apparatus of GFCP was investigated with the help of infrared camera. The results show that devolatilization and partial oxidation (combustion) of coal occurred in the preheating chamber, and this may prove the main heat source of preheating chamber is combustion of coal volatiles and gas is only used to prevent flameout. A self-sustaining combustion drop furnace was used to investigate the NOx reduction potential of GFCP with air staging. Gas species concentrations along furnace are plotted for several runs, offering details to further study and analyze the GFCP. With GFCP, much HCN, CiHj, and soot were produced in the preheating chamber, so under the similar air staging condition, the NO destructed by HCN and soot was stronger than that without. NOx reduction could archive up to 72% with GFCP and air staging, if the residence time in the combustion zone could be prolonged, the NOx reduction will be even higher.