The catalytic activity of cerium-loaded SBA-15 (Ce/SBA-15) for the ozonation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in aqueous solution was studied. Ce/SBA-15 was prepared and characterized by a low angle X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectrum (UV-vis DRS). The results showed that the material retained a highly ordered mesoporous structure and processed large surface area. The presence of Ce/SBA-15 slightly accelerated DMP decomposition, but significantly improved its mineralization efficiency. Under the chosen condition, a high mineralization efficiency (88.7%) was achieved by Ce/SBA-15/O-3 process at 60 min, 2.6 times higher than SBA-15/O-3, 3.5 times higher than O-3 alone. The comparison among different process indicated that the combination of Ce/SBA-15 and O-3 exhibited a significant synergetic effect. Ce/SBA-15 significantly improved ozone decomposition into hydroxyl radicals in aqueous solution and the oxidation of DMP occurred via the free radical mechanism. The reused experiment verified that Ce/SBA-15 kept a good catalytic activity and stability, and it was a promising heterogeneous catalyst. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.