In electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be converted to hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH) by oxidation-reduction reactions to degrade organic matter. To increase the generation of H2O2 and center dot OH radicals, reed straw activated carbon (RSAC) was prepared by carbonization and activation methods and RSAC cathode was prepared by a tableting machine. The samples were observed by XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM and XPS. The electrochemical performance of the RSAC cathode was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the obtained RSAC has a large specific surface area, and its surface is rich in oxygen-containing functional groups and active sites, enabling a good degradation performance. The degradation rate of phenol in over 120 min was 93.06%. The chemical oxygen demand COD value decreased from 323.70 to 95.48 mg O-2 L-1 in 360 min. The results indicate that RSAC has a good electrocatalytic activity. [GRAPHICS] .