A vast number of surface science experiments provide a detailed qualitative picture of the mechanisms governing the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EB) to styrene (St) over unpromoted iron oxide. Values of kinetic and energetic parameters for adsorption and desorption are also available. We present a methodology of kinetic modelling based upon this knowledge, aimed at producing an accurate prediction of the behaviour of the technical catalysts including, deactivation and regeneration. This paper contains a detailed kinetic model and the procedure followed for determining the kinetic parameters. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.