4DENOSO Corporation, Kariya city, Aichi Prefecture, Japan NO x emitted from diesel engines is one of the major air pollutants in most countries. To reduce NO x emission, NO x storage/reduction (NSR) catalysts have been developed for diesel systems. The catalyst for NSR is strongly poisoned with sulfur. This paper reports the synthesis of Na-doped CaCO 3 as a new material for SO 2 adsorption. Measurements of the desulfurization breakthrough characteristics using monolith washcoated Na-doped CaCO 3 were investigated at 450 • C. The Na-doped CaCO 3 absorbed ∼77.6-90.6 mg -SO 2 /g -material of SO 2 at 450 • C (where CaCO 3 is 8 mg -SO 2 /g -material ). Investigation of the source of the improved sulfur absorption capacity of the Na-doped CaCO 3 relative to the parent material via x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses revealed that the new material forms a composite partially composed of Na 2 Ca(CO 3 ) 2 . The enhanced SO 2 absorption capacity derived from the formation of composite materials is demonstrated herein. SO 2 contained in the exhaust gas is absorbed at a lower temperature than with previously reported systems. In order to elucidate the SO 2 absorption mechanism of the composite materials, further studies and synthesis of materials with greater absorption capacity are required.