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Graphical abstract Highlights • ZVI coupled with H 2 O 2 could remove aniline, Sb and Cr simultaneously. • Aniline was degraded by OH but Sb, Cr removal did not depend on Fenton. • Fe(0) corrosion promoted by H 2 O 2 and in-situ generated nano iron(hydr)oxides. • Nano iron(hydr)oxides had abundant adsorption and co-precipitation sites. • Sb and Cr was mainly removed as the states of Sb(III) and Cr(III). Abstract Aniline, antimony (Sb) and chromium (Cr) are typical and regulated co-contaminants in textile wastewater, but their removal was often investigated individually. In this work, simultaneous removal of aniline, Sb and Cr by ZVI coupled with H 2 O 2 was studied. With the dosage of 0.5 g L−1 ZVI and 2 mM H 2 O 2 , aniline, Sb and Cr can be removed completely at pH 3. Experiment with iso -propanol as the radical scavenger confirmed that OH derived from Fenton reaction accounts for aniline degradation, but not for Sb and Cr removal. H 2 O 2 accelerated Fe(0) corrosion and generated the nanoscale iron(hydro)oxides. Aniline was degraded by OH first and then the degradation products were removed by iron(hydro)oxides via adsorption and co-precipitation. Both Fe(0) and iron(hydro)oxides were responsible for Sb and Cr removal, yet iron(hydro)oxides were identified as the major contributor. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that Sb and Cr were removed mainly as the states of Sb(III) and Cr(III). The real textile wastewater investigation confirmed that ZVI coupled with H 2 O 2 can eliminate aniline, Sb and Cr effectively, which has important implications for the advanced treatment of textile wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]