A series of highly mesoporous copper catalysts (5-20 wt.%) supported on silica rice husk were synthesized via sol-gel route at room temperature. The FT-IR and Si-29 MAS NMR spectroscopic studies revealed the successful substitution of copper into the silica matrix. Copper in the +2 oxidation state was evidenced from the DR/UV-vis and XPS analyses. Introduction of copper up to 10 wt.% (RH-10Cu) results in a progressive enhancement in the BET surface area. The activity of the copper catalysts was studied in the liquid-phase oxidation of phenol with H2O2 yielding catechol (CAT) and hydroquinone (HQ). Phenol conversion was influenced by various experimental conditions such as temperature, catalyst dosage, molar ratio of reactants, nature of solvent and percentage metal loading. Excellent activity was achieved when 10 wt.% copper was used and decreased with further increase in the copper loading. RH-10Cu could be regenerated several times without significant loss in the catalytic activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.