Due to its hydrophilicity, the antibiotic tylosin (TYL) was challenging to remove entirely from water through traditional techniques. The design of an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of TYL is a matter of great urgency. Herein, carboxylated cellulose beads embedded with Au-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (Au/TiO2-CCBs) were fabricated via interfacial solid-phase chemical modification with straightforward photo-deposition and TEMPO-mediated oxidation. Morphology, structure, and optical properties of Au/TiO2-CCBs have been investigated through scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis Diffused reflectance spectra, and electron spin resonance (ESR). The fabricated Au/TiO2-CCBs exhibited superior photocatalytic performance, by demonstrating approx. 92% of TYL was decomposed in 180 min under visible light irradiation. However, the catalyst exhibited modest adsorption behavior. The enhanced photocatalytic activity for Au/TiO2-CCBs was attributed to the separation of photoinduced electron−hole pairs. The radical capture test and ESR experiment confirmed that ∙O2−, ∙OH, and h+ radicals were formed during the TYL degradation process. In addition, the stability of the Au/TiO2-CCBs was demonstrated by a steady photocatalytic performance after five cycles during the application. Therefore, this work indicated that the Au/TiO2-CCBs catalyst had an excellent prospect for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]