The catalytic oxidation of pyridine pollutant on a series of supported metals/zeolites catalysts in the presence of excess oxygen was studied. All the catalysts were further characterized by means of BET, XRD, H-2-TPR, XPS, and FTIR techniques. The catalyst that could be reduced at lower temperatures had a better oxidation activity. The better NOx control ability could be attributed to the importance of the Lewis acidity of the samples, rather than to that of Bronsted acidity. On supported copper catalysts, Cu(H2O)(6)(2+) ions had higher activity for the NOx control but poorer activity for the pyridine oxidation. The cointeraction of some factors, such as the surface acidity of catalysts, the structure of supports, and the amount of Cu(H2O)(6)(2+) ions on the supports, played a deciding role in the NOx control ability of the catalysts. Comparatively, Cu/beta was the most active for the pyridine oxidation and NOx control, possibly being a potential catalyst for the catalytic removal of pyridine pollutant. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.