Decarboxylation is increasingly applied in the fields of chemical engineering,biological engineering,medicine and foodstuff,ect.More and more advanced methods of decarboxylation which include thermal-chemical decarboxylation found at the first,then electrochemical,photochemical,photo-electrochemical,and catalytic decarboxylation have been discovered by degrees.Some improve the velocity of decarboxylation,and others make the possibility of decarboxylation of some substance,which can reuse the castoff from the fields of industries and living,and be benefit to exploit the resource and protect the environment,promoting the improvement of society and development of economy.The research progress of pathways and mechanisms of decarboxylation are stated in this article.