<p>The inefficient removal of recalcitrant organic pollutants such as synthetic dyes and pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater remains a major environmental challenge, particularly when conventional adsorption or single advanced oxidation processes are applied. In this study, a magnetically recoverable Fe₃O₄-loaded activated carbon composite catalyst was synthesized via a facile, scalable, and cost-effective method and applied for the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation of Direct Red 23 dye and tetracycline hydrochloride as representative organic contaminants. The composite catalyst exhibited a synergistic adsorption–ozonation behavior, resulting in significantly enhanced degradation efficiency compared to pristine activated carbon. Under optimal reaction conditions, approximately 99.5% of Direct Red 23 and 98.4% of tetracycline were degraded within 50&#xa0;min using the Fe₃O₄@AC catalyst, whereas only 79.3% and 77.9% removal efficiencies were achieved by activated carbon alone. The improved performance was attributed to the effective activation of ozone on the Fe₃O₄-modified surface and the enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species, predominantly hydroxyl radicals. In addition, the magnetic nature of the composite enabled rapid and efficient separation of the catalyst from the treated solution, facilitating catalyst recovery and reuse without a significant loss of activity. To the best of our knowledge, the application of Fe₃O₄@AC in heterogeneous catalytic ozonation for the degradation of these target pollutants under the investigated conditions has not been previously reported. Overall, this study demonstrates that the Fe₃O₄@AC composite is an efficient, practical, and environmentally sustainable catalyst for advanced wastewater treatment applications.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>