Potassium and sodium titanates have been synthesized and characterized, and, the activity for oxidation of diesel soot particles evaluated by TG-DTG. The XRD patterns, DRIFT spectra and XRF data reveal the formation of sodium and potassium titanates. The formation of K2Ti2O5 and Na16Ti10O28 phases are observed for K2O and Na2O loadings greater than 33 %. The BET-surface area and pore volume results show the non-porous characteristics of the materials. The soot oxidation characteristics of K and Na titanates show that the complete combustion of diesel soot can be obtained between 400 and 415 °C. Potassium and sodium titanates exhibit greater activity than the high surface area hydrated titania, showing the enhanced soot-catalyst contact characteristics of the titanates and also the ability of the catalysts to release active oxygen species. The results show that titania can be a suitable support for K and Na, particularly for the combustion of soot.