BACKGROUND: The discharge of synthetic dyes by the textile industry into the environment poses concerns due to their persistence and toxicity. New efficient treatment processes are required to effectively degrade these dyes. The aim of this work was to study the degradation of a persistent dye (Drimarene Brilliant Reactive Red K-4BL, C.1.147) using H2O2 oxidation catalysed by an Mn(III)-saltren catalyst and to develop a kinetic model for this system. RESULTS: Dye oxidation with H2O2 was significantly improved by the addition of the catalyst. As the pH was increased from 3 to 10, the oxidation rates increased significantly. The kinetic model developed in this study was found to adequately explain the experimental results. In particular, dye oxidation can be described at high pH by pseudo-first-order kinetics. A Michaelis- Menton type equation was developed from the model and was found to adequately describe the effect of H2O2 and catalyst concentrations on the apparent pseudo-first-order rate constant. Optimum catalyst and H2O2 concentrations of 500 mg L-1 and 6.3 g L-1, respectively, were found to give maximum reaction rates. CONCLUSION: Catalytic H2O2 oxidation was found to be effective for the removal of persistent dye and the results obtained in this work are of significance for design and scale-up of a treatment process. (C) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry