On the examples of the temperature programmed desorption of water from a NaA and a 0.45 NiNaX zeolite, it is shown that, through the use of non-linear temperature programmes with increasing heating rate, the individual desorption steps at higher temperatures of a complex desorption process are better recognizable, or can be distinguished almost completely from desorption at lower temperatures. This type of temperature processing therefore offers a suitable means of improving the finding on complex desorption processes relating to porous catalysts and other systems.