In this work oxidation of phenol with hydrogen peroxide on Cu/ZSM-5 catalysts was studied. The catalysts samples were prepared by two different methods: by ionic exchange from the protonic form of commercial ZSM-5 zeolite, and by direct hydrothermal synthesis. Characterization of the catalysts extends to X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the adsorption techniques were used for the measurement of the specific surface area. The catalytic tests were carried out in a stainless steel Parr reactor in batch operation mode at the atmospheric pressure and the temperature range from 50 to 80 degrees C. The mass ratio of the active metal component on the zeolite was in the range of 1.62-3.24 wt.%. for catalyst prepared by direct hydrothermal synthesis and 2.23-3.52 wt.% for catalyst prepared by ion exchange method. The initial concentration of phenol and hydrogen peroxide was 0.01 and 0.1 mol dm(-3), respectively. The influence of different methods of Cu/ZSM-5 preparation on their catalytic perfon-nance was monitored in terms of phenol conversion and degree of metal leached into aqueous solution. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.