The thermal degradation studies of three types of residues obtained from the chemical treatment of distillery effluents were conducted in a thermogravimetric analyzer in the presence of air (flow rate: 200 ml/min) front the room temperature (25 degrees C) to 950 degrees C. The global mass loss kinetics was determined for the entire decomposition process, as if occurring in a single step. Among the various models used to understand the degradation studies, the Agrawal and Sivasubramanian model (1987) is found to fit best for CTR-1 and CTR-2 (thermolysis residues) with reaction order 0.89 and 1.43, respectively. For coagulation-flocculation residue, the Ginstling-Brounstein diffusion model best represents the kinetics. The activation energy is found to be in the range of 21-66 MJ/kg for CTR-1, 15-51 MJ/kg for CTR-2, and 12-27 MJ/kg for coagulation flocculation residue.