Cu-Zn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. Catalytic activity was evaluated for N 2 O decomposition in a fixed bed reactor. The fresh and used catalysts were characterized by several techniques such as BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Cu-Zn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts exhibit high activity and stability for N 2 O decomposition in mixtures simulating real gas from adipic acid production, containing N 2 O, O 2 , NO, CO 2 , and CO. Over the Cu-Zn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts, 100% of N 2 O conversion was obtained at about 601 • C at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 7200 h −1 . Cu-Zn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts also exhibited considerably good durability, and no obvious activity loss was observed in the 100 h stability test. The Cu-Zn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts are promising for the abatement of this powerful greenhouse gas in the chemical industry, particularly in adipic acid production.