To investigate the oxidative degradation of organic pollutants at the interface of manganese oxides and water, beta-MnO2 was prepared and its crystal structure and the specific surface area were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) methods, respectively. 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) as a model chemical was used to study its oxidative degradation reaction in beta-MnO2 suspension. The experimental results showed that MBT was effectively degraded and mineralized into SO4(2-) and NO3- by beta-MnO2. In the meantime, it was found that beta-MnO2 could be reductively dissolved, and aqueous and adsorbed Mn2+ was generated. The kinetics of MBT degradation by beta-MnO2 is a function of initial MBT concentration, beta-MnO2 dosage and pH value. At pH 4.6, apparent reaction orders with respect to initial MBT concentration and beta-MnO2 dosage were determined to be 0.88 and 0.27, respectively. The initial reaction rate (rinit) is of pH dependence with a reaction order of -0.36. The thermodynamics of MBT degradation by beta-MnO2 was also investigated, and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 5.62 kJ/mol. The inhibited effect of carboxylic acids (oxalic, citric, tartaric, and malic acids) or metal ions (Ni2+, Ca2+, Mn2+ and Cr3+) on the oxidative degradation of MBT by beta-MnO2 was also investigated. This investigation will give some new insights for understanding the interaction of organic pollutants with manganese oxides in natural soils and sediments.