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Excess bisphenol A (BPA) is a pollutant of concern in different water sources. In this work, magnetic illite clay-composite material (Fe 3 O 4 @illite) was synthesized via the coprecipitation method by loading Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (nano-Fe 3 O 4) onto the surfaces of illite clay. Results from different characterizations showed that nano-Fe 3 O 4 was embedded into illite clay nanosheets and existed on the surfaces of illite clay, thereby reducing the degree of agglomeration and improving dispersibility. The catalytic BPA degradation of Fe 3 O 4 @illite and nano-Fe 3 O 4 confirmed the superior performance of Fe 3 O 4 @illite compared with that of nano-Fe 3 O 4. The optimum operating parameters for degradation were 0.3 mL of H 2 O 2 at pH of 3 in the presence of Fe 3 O 4 @illite, which provided a maximum degradation capacity up to 816, 364, 113, and 68 mg/g for epoxy BPA concentration of resin wastewater (266 mg/L), synthetic wastewater (80 mg/L), Hefei City swan lake (25 mg/L), and Hefei University lake wastewater (14.94 mg/L), respectively, in 180 min reaction time. The degradation data conformed to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The degradation pathways and mineralization study revealed that the adsorption-Fenton-like reaction was the principal mechanism that demonstrated 100% degradation efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 @illite even after nine successive runs. The regeneration and reusability tendency analysis ensured that Fe 3 O 4 @illite can be easily separated by using magnets. Therefore, Fe 3 O 4 @illite composite with H 2 O 2 Fenton-like technology was a promising method for BPA degradation. Image 1 • Fe 3 O 4 @illite was successfully synthesized via a simple co-precipitation. • The maximum degradation capacity of Fe 3 O 4 @illite reached up to 364 mg/g. • Adsorption and Fenton-like oxidation were dominant removal mechanism. • BPA removal remained 100% after nine successive runs. • Magnetic separation of Fe 3 O 4 @illite was possible as a regeneration mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]