Herein, a lignin-based carbon loaded with zinc oxide (LC/ZnO) was synthesized from alkali lignin through a facile activated carbonization, and used for ciprofloxacin (CIP) photocatalytic degradation. The results showed that the prepared LC/ZnO composite possessed large surface area and high porosity, and the ZnO nanoparticles had a good distribution on the surface of LC. The absorption intensity of visible light of ZnO also remarkably increased after combination with LC, which all conducive to follow-up photo-induced electrons (e