Highly reduced surface by H2 treatment leads to mainly nitrites instead of nitrates adsorbed on catalyst in NO + O2 reaction.
Lean-oxygen treatment reduced the Brønsted acidity of catalyst.
Highly reduced surface inhibites the decomposition of ammonium nitrate to N2 and H2O.
Ammonium-nitrate route was consolidated over CeO2–ZrO2–PO43− catalyst by kinetics study.