Copper ferrate spinel (CuFe2O4) catalysts are widely used in advanced oxidation processes for environmental wastewater treatment due to their advantages of low price, mild reaction conditions and ease of operation. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the factors influence the surface properties of catalysts on their catalytic activity. In this research, the effects of process parameters on the surface properties of CuFe2O4 were investigated, and the relationship between the surface properties of CuFe2O4 and its catalytic activity was clarified. The optimised CuFe2O4 exhibited 92.4 % degradation of tetracycline (TC) and 55 % mineralisation of total organic carbon (TOC) within 30 min, the pseudo-first-order reaction rate was 0.0315 min−1, which was 2.2 times higher than that of the unoptimised CuFe2O4. The mechanism of action for enhancing catalyst performance and the degradation mechanism of tetracycline were clarified through a combination of characterization analysis. To further solve the problems of secondary pollution caused by ion leaching and the difficulty of practical application of powder catalysts, novel hydrogel microspheres composed of sodium alginate and CuFe2O4 were prepared by using the property of metal ions and sodium alginate to form a solid gel (SA/Ort-6). SA/Ort-6 was characterized by low ion leaching, excellent performance and excellent stability. The mass ratio of catalyst to treated water could be up to 1:22,000, and the mass ratio of catalyst to treated water can reach up to 1:22000, the removal rate of TOC was stable above 35 %. This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between surface properties and catalytic performance of CuFe2O4, offers a new approach to effectively solve leaching of metal ions, and opens up a new avenue for practical application of powder catalysts.