This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), isopropyl ether (DIPE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME) degradation through ozonation alone and catalytic ozonation in the presence of perfluorinated alumina. MTBE, a common fuel additive. was found to be the most resistant towards molecular ozone attack. Out of several catalysts examined, the one with the longest perfluorinated chain and the highest surface coverage demonstrated the highest catalytic activity. Bare alumina, the support of perfluorinated acid, did not show any catalytic activity. This paper is also an attempt to propose the mechanism of ozone reactions with the ethers studied with or without the catalyst. The main problems discussed in this paper are: adsorption studies concerning the adsorption capacity of perfluorinated catalyst and also ozonation studies concerning by-products identification as well as absolute rate constants determination for ozone reactions with ethers in water. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.