ZnO grafted amorphous Fe2O3 matrix (ZnO/Fe2O3) was coupled with g-C3N4 to synthesize heterojunction photocatalysts with a loosened multilayered structure. The ZnO/Fe2O3/g-C3N4 exhibited enhanced photo-catalytic performance in the degradation of sulfamethazine under visible-light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm), with an optimum photocatalytic degradation rate approximately 3.0, 2.4 times that of pure g-C3N4 and binary ZnO/g-C3N4. Moreover, the target sulfonamides spiked in actual surface water samples could be efficiently photodegraded by ZnO/Fe2O3/g-C3N4 after 8 h of irradiation, demonstrating its practical potential. An amorphous Fe2O3-mediated Z-scheme mechanism was proposed for the charge transfer at the heterojunction surface, which involved a Fe(III)/Fe(II) oxidation-reduction center that favored the retarded charge recombination and improved photocatalytic activity. Such a mechanism was well supported by the direct detection of surface generated O-center dot(2)- and (OH)-O-center dot reactive species. Finally, detailed transformation pathways were proposed based on the photodegradation products identified by QToF-MS analyses. This work provides an illustrative strategy for developing efficient Z-scheme photocatalysts for water purification, by taking advantage of amorphous Fe-based oxides in the semiconductor lattice matching. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.