The activation energy for the removal of surface carbon formed by methane decomposition following high-temperature reforming, from a nickel/zirconia solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode has been calculated using two methods based on temperature-programmed oxidation. It is found that the re is a fairly good agreement between the two methods. In addition, it was observed that the addition of small quantities of lithium to the anode resulted in a significant lowering of the activation energy for surface carbon removal by about 50 kJ mol(-1).