This work considers the oxidation of ammonia (NH 3 ) by selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) over a copper (Cu)-cerium (Ce) composite catalyst at temperatures between 150 and 400°C. A Cu-Ce composite catalyst was prepared by coprecipitation of copper nitrate and cerium nitrate at various molar concentrations. This study also considers how the concentration of influent NH 3 (500 -1000 ppm), the space velocity (72,000 -110,000 hr Ϫ1 ), the relative humidity (12-18%) and the concentration of oxygen (4 -20%) affect the operational stability and the capacity for removing NH 3 . The effects of the O 2 and NH 3 content of the carrier gas on the catalyst's reaction rate also are considered. The experimental results show that the extent of conversion of NH 3 by SCO in the presence of the Cu-Ce composite catalyst was a function of the molar ratio. The NH 3 was removed by oxidation in the absence of Cu-Ce composite catalyst, and ϳ99.2% NH 3 reduction was achieved during catalytic oxidation over the Cu-Ce (6:4, molar/molar) catalyst at 400°C with an O 2 content of 4%. Moreover, the effect of the initial concentration and reaction temperature on the removal of NH 3 in the gaseous phase was also monitored at a gas hourly space velocity of less than 92,000 hr ؊1 .