The effect of air preheat temperature on MILD (Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution) combustion of coal-derived syngas was examined in parallel jet forward flow combustor. The results were presented on flow field using numerical simulations and on global flame signatures, OH* radicals distribution and exhaust emissions using experiments. The discrete and high speed air/fuel injections into the combustor is necessary for the establishment of MILD conditions, because they cause strong gas recirculation and form large mixing region between the air and fuel jets. The critical equivalence ratio above which MILD combustion occurred was identified. The MILD regime was established for syngas fuel under air preheating conditions with lean operational limit and suppressed NOx and CO emissions. In the MILD combustion regime, the air preheating resulted in higher NOx but lower CO emissions, while the increase of equivalence ratio led to the increase of NOx and the decrease of CO emissions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.