The complex of Fe(III)2 [2-(hydroxy-benzeylidine)-amino]benzoic acid has been encapsulated in pores of NaA zeolite by two different synthesis procedures, namely a zeolite synthesis method in the presence of preformed iron complex ((FeL)-L-III/A(en)) and a solid-solid-type reaction ((FeL)-L-III/A(ss)). The preparations were characterized by using powder XRD, mid-FTIR, Mossbauer spectroscopy, TGA/DTGA, sorption and surface texture measurements. These results have been compared with those obtained for neat complex. The carbon and iron percentages obtained by elemental analysis indicate a mononuclear structure of the complex with 1Fe:1L proportion. Analysis by Mossbauer confirmed that Fe-III acquires distorted octahedral structure of the encapsulated complex, with a number of iron ions being formed as alpha-Fe2O3 in (FeL)-L-III/A(ss). The compatible physicochemical data of solids have indicated a better complex encapsulation for sample prepared by the zeolite synthesis method. The complex in (FeL)-L-III/A(en) serves to impart structural order to the inorganic NaA network where the integrity of the matrix was confirmed by FTIR, XRD and texture studies. The resulting host/guest compound including H2O2/UV is active system for the oxidative color removal of direct blue-1 in aqueous heterogeneous suspensions with very low catalyst/substrate ratio. The heretogenized complex especially Fe-III/A(en) is significantly more stable than the corresponding homogeneous complex over prolonged reaction time, and therefore a better catalyst than the homogeneous one. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.