Goethite (alpha-FeOOH), one of soil contents, can be dissolved in acidic water to produce ferrous ions initiating Fenton reaction with hydrogen peroxide to degrade explosive. In this study, a series of catalytic degradation of nitro aromatic explosives, namely picric acid (PA) and ammonium picrate (AP) have been investigated using the FeOOH/H2O2 process. The controlling factors, such as adsorption of goethite dosage, hydrogen peroxide concentration and UV-light exposure on the oxidation of nitro aromatic explosives were investigated. The results showed that target compounds were adsorbed on the surface of goethite while the oxidation was proceeding. Furthermore, inhibition effect of nitro aromatic intermediates on the reaction was also discussed. A half-life kinetic model has been proposed to predict the half-lives of explosive oxidation in the goethite/H2O2 system. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.