Abstract: Coconut char is prepared by pyrolysis and used as the fuel for the direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFCs), which are composed of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte and silver and gadolinium-doped ceria (Ag-GDC) cermet electrodes. The microstructure and composition of coconut char are characterized and the performances of DC-SOFCs with coconut char as fuel was investigated. The results show that the as-prepared coconut biochar has a mesoporous structure and a particle size of several microns; moreover, it contains K and Ca elements, favorable for the Boudouard reaction. A peak power density of 255 mW/cm² is observed for the DC-SOFC operated at 800 ℃ with coconut char as fuel; it increases to 274 mW/cm² when the char is loaded with Fe as a promoter to improve the reverse Boudouard reaction. The discharging time of the cell with 0.5 g Fe-loaded coconut char operated at a constant current density of 0.5 A/cm² lasts for 17.6 h, representing a fuel conversion of 39%, demonstrating the feasibility and superiority of coconut char as a fuel for DC-SOFCs.