The decomposition of nitrous oxide (N2O), which may be carried out either catalytically or thermally, is a reaction of considerable environmental significance. A novel non-catalytic process for the destruction of nitrous oxide emissions is presented. Experimental studies on a laboratory scale demonstrate that a selective removal of N2O can be achieved in a purely thermal conversion step within the temperature range of 800 degreesC-1000 degreesC without adversely affecting the NOx levels in the gas. The new process is also suitable for the treatment of lean waste gas streams, since the integrated heat recovery, for instance in a regenerative reverse flow reactor, permits simple, robust autothermal operation with the recovery of useful heat whilst circumventing the danger of additional NOx formation. Further studies deal with the simultaneous occurrence of both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions in the N2O decomposition process and their interaction. The stability limits in the operation of a flow reversal reactor could well offer a useful practical means of discriminating between the relative contributions of the two types of reaction and of identifying coupling mechanisms, as the combined system exhibits parametric sensitivities and thermokinetic instabilities, such as ignition-extinction phenomena and multiple periodic steady states, which depend on the underlying structure of the reactive processes. The concepts involved are illustrated using the results of preliminary model simulations. The stability structure of the system can be analysed expediently using a combination of dynamic simulation and an asymptotic countercurrent reactor model.