Display omitted •3D-sized catalyst is constructed for facial recovery after degradation process.•Mn-MoS2@AABs is firstly proposed as a PMS catalyst for TC degradation.•PMS can be activated effectively by Mn-MoS2@AABs under visible light.•The regulation of doped Mn enhances the catalytic performance of Mn-MoS2@AABs. In this work, Mn (II) was doped into MoS2 structure and then anchored on activated alumina beads to construct 3D-sized composites (Mn-MoS2@AABs). This component material was used as PMS activator for tetracycline (TC) degradation under light irradiation. According to experiment results, Mn-MoS2@AABs exhibited well degradation performance to TC, which ascribed to excellent photo-response property of Mn-MoS2 and activation of Mn. Importantly, the 3D-sized structure made it facilely be recycled from solution, which catered to the demand for the practical application. Therefore, the novel strategy of designing Mn-MoS2@AABs had great significance for environmental restoration.