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Ag/Ag 3 PO 4 /active carbon (AC) composite photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using the simple deposition and photoinduced methods. The structures, morphology and photocatalytic properties of as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Ag/Ag 3 PO 4 /AC composite photocatalysts exhibited a conspicuously improved photocatalytic performance for tetracycline (TC) degradation. The optimal conditions of loaded dosage and photoinduced time were investigated, and the results showed that the photoinduced time played an important role in prepared processes, and also that for the loaded dosage of Ag 3 PO 4 . The DRS analysis showed that the composite photocatalysts exhibited strong absorption ability in the visible light range. The radicals trap experiments demonstrated that there were multiple active species during the degrading process of TC. The possible mechanism of improved photocatalytic activity of Ag–Ag 3 PO 4 /AC composite was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]