The direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) is a clean and efficient power generation device using carbon resources. It has attracted more and more attention due to its high energy conversion efficiency, low environmental pollution and wide range of fuel selection. The performance of DCFC is closely related to the fuel used, in order to explore the influence of fuel on DCFC, the characteristics and modification methods of graphite, carbon black, medium density fiberboard, biomass, coal and activated carbon are expounded in this paper. The surface oxygen-containing functional groups and the promoting effect of metal catalysts in fuel on anode electrochemical reactions are analyzed and discussed. It is found that fuel surface chemical properties are more important than the specific surface area. Simultaneously, this paper also puts forward the expectation of biomass as an excellent renewable resource, it will provide a reference for the development and utilization of DCFC fuel in the future.