A heterogeneous magnetic CuFe2O4@OMS-2 catalyst was fabricated through a facile solvent-free process using Mn(CH3COO)(2) and KMnO4 in the presence of CuFe2O4. It was found that the BET surface area of OMS-2 as well as the ratio of low-valent manganese species significantly increased in the hybrid catalyst, due to interactions between CuFe2O4 and the precursor of amorphous manganese oxide. Acid Orange 7 (AO(7)) and other organic pollutants could be completely degraded by the CuFe2O4@OMS-2 catalyst within 30 min in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), while CuFe2O4 and OMS-2 showed no significant activity for the reaction. The hybrid catalyst also exhibited excellent long-term stability and could be easily recovered with the assistance of an external magnetic field. A possible degradation mechanism for the synergistic effects of different valent metal species and reactive radicals was proposed, which involved the electron transfer from Mn(III) or Mn(II) species to PMS with the generation of sulfate and hydroxyl radicals, and from AO(7) and Cu(I) in CuFe2O4 to Mn(IV) and Mn(III) to reduce these Mn species. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.