Magnetic Fe-Cu materials were prepared by the sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). These materials were applied for the removal of pyridine under the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the Fenton-like system. The influences of different parameters, such as the molar ratio of Fe and Cu, catalyst dosages, H2O2 dosages, initial pH value and initial pyridine concentration have been investigated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the impacts of the key factors on the removal efficiency of TOC. The mechanism of the UV/H2O2/M-40% system was explored. The co-doped Fe-Cu catalyst showed high activity, good stability and easy recovery for the degradation of pyridine when the M-40% dosage was 0.90 g L-1, H2O2 dosage was 832.50 mg L-1, initial pH value was 7 and initial pyridine concentration was 100.00 mg L-1. The degradation efficiency of pyridine was more than 99% within 30 min and the removal efficiency of TOC was 97.36 +/- 1.10% within SO min. Therefore, the catalyst M-40% was a potential wastewater treatment material that could widen the action range of pH values, facilitating recycling and reuse. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.