The synthesis and nitrogen oxide (NO) removal activities of composite powders in the copper-lanthanum-alumina (CuLa-Al 2 O 3 ) system were studied, in regard to their hightemperature application as an automotive lean-burn exhaust catalyst. The solid-state reaction between the copper, the lanthanum, and the Al 2 O 3 support, at elevated temperature, was examined by X-ray diffractometry and electronspin resonance. Lanthanum impregnation into the Al 2 O 3 support successfully helped to form active composite powders that could remove nitrogen oxides and consisted of ␥-Al 2 O 3 and LaAlO 3 , after heat treatment at 900°C, and mainly CuLaAl 11 O 19 at 1000°C. Cu 2+ cations were observed to be isolated in the present powders, even after heat treatment up to 1000°C. The evaluation of NO removal activity over lanthanum-modified copper-Al 2 O 3 catalysts that were subjected to harsh heat treatment was performed using a model exhaust-gas mixture of NO, carbon monoxide (CO), propene (C 3 H 6 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), water vapor (H 2 O), and an excess of oxygen (O 2 ). The catalyst that was composed of 20 mol% copper, 10 mol% lanthanum, and Al 2 O 3 and heat treated at 900°and 1000°C in air showed NO removal conversion efficiencies of 14% and 8%, respectively, under the lean-burn conditions of an air:fuel (A/F) ratio of 18 and a space velocity (SV) of 100000 h −1 . Lanthanum-modified copper-Al 2 O 3 powders are potentially useful as a NO removal catalyst, when applied to an automotive lean-burn exhaust.