In this study, sulfated ceria-zirconia (SCZ) catalysts with increasing Ce molar fractions (xCe = 0; 0.21; 0.5; 0.75 and 1) were prepared by direct sulfation of the crystallized CZ nanopowders in 0.5 M H(2)SO(4). As revealed by XRD and TGA, the sulfation treatment created surface sulfates with a density of 2-3 SO(4)(2-)/nm(2) whatever the Ce content while maintaining the original crystalline structure of the CZ material. The investigation of ethanol-SCR performances under (1920 ppm NO + 3020 ppm C(2)H(5)OH + 5% O(2)) TPSR and steady-state conditions allowed to obtain N(2) yields superior to 45% on the most active SCZ catalysts around 350-400 degrees C. Catalytic results relative to the sulfated and non-sulfated catalysts are then discussed according to the Ce molar fraction and the CZ structure. The possible reaction pathways involved in the formation/decomposition of some important SCR intermediates such as ethylnitrite, acetaldehyde, HCN and NH(3) are examined on the basis of the collected TPSR data. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.