In the present work, degradation of Reactive Red 120 dye (RR120) has been carried out using hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) one of the upcoming advance oxidation techniques (AOPs). The effect of various operating parameters such as inlet fluid pressure, cavitation number, solution pH and addition of H(2)O(2) as a supplementary oxidizing agent on the degradation rates were studied. The cavitational device used in this study has been optimized in terms of inlet fluid pressure and cavitation number. The photographic study was carried out to analyze the cavity behavior inside a transparent venturi. The degradation of RR120 was found to be dependent on the solution pH and higher degradation was achieved in acidic medium and addition of H(2)O(2) further enhances the degradation rate. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.