<p>Understanding the thermal behavior and reaction kinetics of petroleum pitch is crucial for the design and optimization of pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion reactors that utilize it as a feedstock. The thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) was conducted to investigate the combustion and pyrolysis of petroleum pitch. A single-step and two-step mass loss were observed in the pyrolysis and combustion, respectively. The distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was applied to study the pyrolysis and combustion kinetics. The average activation energy (E) values were 188.029 and 139.280&#xa0;kJ&#xa0;mol⁻¹ at pyrolysis and combustion, respectively. The variation of activation energy and pre-exponential factor confirmed the complicated nature of the pyrolysis and combustion. The positive values of Gibbs free energy and enthalpy indicated the endothermic nature of transient state formation reactions in the pyrolysis and combustion processes. A negative value of entropy was obtained in both the cases of pyrolysis and combustion. The comprehensive combustion indexes were evaluated, and the combustion of petroleum pitch was favored. The kinetic compensation effect (KCE) relationship was followed at pyrolysis and combustion.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>