We synthesized a novel magnetic composite, Fe3O4/Cu(Ni)Cr-LDH, as a heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in the solution using sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes. The physicochemical properties of the composite synthesized via two-step microwave hydrothermal method were characterized by several techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The degradation tests were performed at 25 degrees C with Acid Orange 7 (AO7) initial concentration of 25 mg/L and AO7/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) molar ratio of 1:10, which showed that the complete degradation by Fe3O4/Cu1.5Ni0.5Cr-LDH could be achieved and the mineralization rate could reach 46%. PMS was activated by Cu (II) and Fe (II/III) of Fe3O4/Cu(Ni)Cr-LDH to generate sulfate radicals (SO4 center dot-). Subsequently, the organic functional groups of AO7 molecules were destroyed by sulfate radicals (SO4 center dot-), inducing the degradation of AO7. Moreover, the catalytic behavior of the catalysts could be reused five times. Therefore, our work suggested that the Fe3O4/Cu(Ni)Cr-LDH composite could be applied widely for the treatment of organic dyes in wastewater. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.