This report discusses the efficiency of photo-recovery of orthophosphate anions in water under visible irradiation using materials containing amorphous carbon, ceria and gold-ceria species. Catalysts were obtained by the exchange of Amberlite-732 polymeric-resin with isolated Ce(III) and co-mixing of Ce(III)-Au(III) cations. Syntheses were developed for molar ratios Ce(III)/3H+=100 and Au(III)-Ce(III)/3H+=0.01. Solids were treated at 800 °C under Air or Ar atmosphere then characterized by: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible spectroscopy. By XRD, non-stoichiometric Ce2.658S4 sulfide and particles of metallic gold are identified in Ce-Au-Amb-Ar and in the case of Ce-Au-Amb-Air, mixture of CeO2 and Au0 is clearly observed. Moreover, XPS study of Ce3d emission spectra showed well resolved electronic states of the spin-orbit Ce3d5/2 and Ce3d3/2 levels in the Ce4+ and Ce3+ oxidation states confirming coexistence of Ce(IV)/Ce(III). On the surfaces of both Ce-Au-Amb-Air and Ce-Au-Amb-Ar, XPS revealed metallic Au species. A certain amount of carbon, identified by EDS and XPS, corresponds to poorly ordered carbon formed by the resin decomposition during thermal treatments under Air and Ar. The UV-vis spectroscopy was valuable to quantify the remaining PO43− anions in solution (at each moment of reaction) using “Molybdenum Blue” method. Photo-recovery of orthophosphates under visible irradiation yields optimal trapping of ∼75 % of PO43− on Ce-Au-Amb-Ar, attributed to a catalyst surface enrichment with Ce3+ species, which promoted structural oxygen vacancies.