Heterogeneous catalysis by Fenton oxidation process has gained tremendous recognition in recent times. This importance was the driving force in this review which mainly focuses on the heterogeneous catalytic Fenton processes for synthetic dye abatement in wastewater for the past five years, though some earlier researches which were fruitful in the field will also discussed. The outstanding experimental results obtained by using heterogeneous catalytic Fenton system for dye removal are also compiled and described. This includes the development of the stable heterogeneous catalyst towards minimal leaching, long-term stability and high catalytic activities. It also outlines the catalytic deactivation encountered by researchers and the remedies to prevent the deactivation associated with Fenton process or photo-assisted Fenton process. Current limitation and future prospect using heterogeneous catalytic Fenton process for the dye removal are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.