The formation of N

2

during pyrolysis of Fushun coal with and without catalyst was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor with a heating rate of 20 ℃/min up to 1 300 ℃. N

2

emission was measured by a gas chromatograph. pyrolysis experiment shows that a little N

2

releases below 600 ℃

while N

2

emission increases linearly with the temperature over 600 ℃. The demineralization dramatically changes N

2

formation profiles and reduces nitrogen conversion to N

2

. Addition of 3%(mass fraction)catalyst promotes N

2

formation of the demineralized coal

but the catalytic effect depends on temperature and the species of mineral matter

. Ti

Fe

K and Ca enhance N

2

emission significantly

but the effects of Na and Mg on N

2

formation are weaker. These observations imply that minerals are important to catalyze N

2

formation during coal pyrolysis. Ti

Fe and K evidently catalyze N

2

formation at the temperature higher than 600 ℃

while Na

Ca and Mg do at the temperature over 800 ℃. It is likely that N

2

can directly release from the macromolecular structure of coal and can form via the solid-phase reaction between the minerals and the nitrogen in coal.