Hydrolysis of water-insoluble esters is an industrially important but challenging reaction, because the esters are mostly present in oil droplets on water during the reaction. On the basis of the screening results for hydrolysis of a water-insoluble ester, 3-phenylpropionate, on/in water by 25 types of heterogeneous and homogenous catalysts, we have found that H beta zeolite with a moderate Si/Al ratio (Si/Al = 75), H beta-75, is an effective and reusable catalyst for hydrolysis of hydrophobic esters. The hydrolysis of esters with different sizes is studied by H beta and HZSM5 zeolites with different Si/Al ratios, and the results show the hydrophobicity, pore size and number of Bronsted acid sites are critical factors affecting the catalytic activity for this system. Kinetic and adsorption studies show that the high yields by H beta-75 are due to preferential interaction of the hydrophobic zeolite pore with hydrophobic esters over polar molecules (carboxylic acids, water, alcohols) and transfer of the carboxylic acids to the oil droplets on water, both of which inhibit the reverse reaction (esterification of the carboxylic acids). (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.