In this study we present the effects of iron oxide (Fe2O3) on titanium dioxide (TiO2) in synthesising visible-light reactive photocatalysts. A Fe2O3-TiO2 composite photocatalyst was synthesized from Fe-2(SO4)(3) and Ti(SO4)(2) by a ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method. The preparation conditions were optimized through the investigation of the effects of hydrothermal temperature and time as well as molar ratio of Ti to Fe on the photocatalytic activity. The visual, physical and chemical properties of the Fe2O3-TiO2 composites were investigated. The results showed that alpha-Fe2O3 and anatase TiO2 were present in the composites. The Fe2O3-TiO2 synthesized under optimum condition consisted of mesoporous structure with an average pore size of 4 nm and a surface area of 43 m(2)/g. Under visible and solar light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of optimized sample was significantly higher than that of pure TiO2. This sample led to a photodegradation efficiency of 90% and 40% of auramine under visible light and solar light, respectively. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.