As a hot gas clean-up technology for integrated coal gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power plants, the catalytic decomposition of ammonia using simulated coal-derived gas was studied. Based on the selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen and water, the characteristics of five kinds of supported nickel catalysts were investigated. Ammonia decomposition experiments were carried out at 0.9 MPa, and the surface properties of the catalysts were investigated through surface area measurement, the temperature programmed desorption of ammonia(NH(3)-TPD), carbon analysis, XRD analysis, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. The results showed that a nickel catalyst supported on ZSM-5 zeolite has the highest activity and selectivity for ammonia decomposition to nitrogen without carbon deposition from 250-400 degrees C among the tested catalysts. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.