A Cu-Fe-La/gamma-Al2O3 (CFLA) catalyst was prepared by the excessive impregnation method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the catalyst contained mostly Cu2+, Fe3+, and La3+ and a small amount of Cu+, Fe2+, and La. The active components were uniformly distributed in the catalyst, and the particle size of the components was approximately 7.5 nm. The CFLA catalyst was used for the treatment of methyl orange (MO) solution by catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO), and it exhibited a high catalytic activity. The catalytic reaction involved variable valence states of metals and free-radical reaction mechanism. The CWAO reaction of MO solution was fitted by a segmented first-order dynamic model, and the rapid reaction apparent activation energy was 13.9 kJ.mol(-1). (C) 2016 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.