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A novel TiO 2-ZrO 2 hybrid oxide material enriched with lanthanum via in situ modification was successfully synthesized via a sol–gel process and applied in tetracycline (TC) removal. Lanthanum was introduced to increase the adhesion of organic compound to the TiO 2-ZrO 2 surface, which is beneficial for adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity. Detailed physicochemical analysis of the hybrid oxide materials was carried out using analytical techniques including energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), low-temperature N 2 adsorption (BET model) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A key aspect of the research was the determination of optimum conditions for tetracycline removal from model solutions by a comprehensive method that combines adsorption and photocatalytic degradation processes. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of the TiO 2-ZrO 2/La system with respect to TC was calculated to be 69.44 mg/g. Additionally, photocatalytic tests showed that 35 mg of TiO 2-ZrO 2/La photocatalyst was able to remove TC from a 10 mg/L model solution in 120 min with 100% efficiency. Thus, it is a very promising material for the treatment of wastewaters containing tetracycline.