<p>The controlled modification of heterogeneous catalysts is of paramount importance for removing stubborn pollutants; however, it remains a challenging task. The objective of this work was to prepare β-cyclodextrin-supported manganese ferrite (β-CD/MFO) using a hydrothermal method to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the effective elimination of tetracycline (TC) through radical and non-radical pathways. The synthesized β-CD/MFO composites possessed superior catalytic activity compared to the plain MFO nanoparticles during the process of stimulating PMS for the abatement of TC. The findings show that the synergy of β-CD and MFO has a significant impact, leading to a substantial enhancement in the removal of TC in the β-CD/MFO/PMS system. The degradation rate of TC increased by 97.59% over a 48-min timeframe with a rate constant value of 0.0767 min^⁻1 under optimized conditions (pH=4.93, PMS = 0.24 mM, catalyst=0.4 g/L, and TC concentration of 24 mg/L), which was substantially higher than pure MFO (80.7% with a rate constant of 0.0425 min^⁻1). Free radical trapping investigations and EPR analysis establish the production of active species (^•OH, SO₄^•−, and ¹O₂) in the β-CD/MFO/PMS system, efficiently breaking pollutants confined inside the β-CD cavity. The β-CD/MFO/PMS system demonstrated practical adaptation due to its ease of recovery and reuse in degradation applications. In brief, the present study presents a logical understanding of heterogeneous catalysts in PMS-based AOPs for contamination disposal.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>