The objective of this study was to investigate the degradation and mineralization of an azo-dye, the Congo red, in aqueous solutions using ozone. Phytotoxicity and the inhibitory effects on the microbial activity of the raw and the ozonated solutions were also carried out with the aim of water reuse and environment protection. Decolorization of the aqueous solutions, disappearance of the parent compound, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal were the main parameters monitored in this study. To control the mineralization of the Congo red, pH of the ozonated solution and heteroatoms released from the mother molecule such NH4+, NO3- and SO42-were determined. It was concluded that ozone by itself is strong enough to decolorize these aqueous solutions in the early stage of the oxidation process. Nonetheless, efficient mineralization had not been achieved. Significant drops in COD (54%) were registered. The extent of TOC removal was about 32%. Sulfur heteroatom was totally oxidized to SO42- ions while the central -N=N- azo ring was partially converted to NH4+ and NO3-. Results of the kinetic studies showed that ozonation of the selected molecule was a pseudo-first-order reaction with respect to dye concentration. The obtained results also demonstrate that ozone process reduced the phytotoxicity of the raw solution and enhanced the biodegradability of the treated azo-dyes-wastewater. Hence, this show that ozone remains one of the effective technologies for the discoloration and the detoxification of organic dyes in wastewater. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.