Electrochemical oxidation is a promising abatement process for organic substances which are recalcitrant to biological degradation. The anodic oxidation of coumaric acid, a pollutant of olive oil manufacturing waste waters, was evaluated on several electrode materials: Pt-Ti, PbO2, Ru-Ti. The effect of the applied current density, pH, temperature, the electrolyte (Na2SO4) concentration, the initial coumaric acid concentration and the type of DC feeder (a galvanostat or a simple current rectifier) over the oxidation rate was evaluated through a series of batch runs performed in a pilot electrolyser (200 cm(2) electrode surface). Beyond direct oxidation at the electrode surface, bulk oxidation with e.g. hydrogen peroxide, generated via persulphate formation and hydrolysis, was found to be a crucial degradation step to more biodegradable nonaromatic products. Small quantities of Fe2+/Fe3+ ions in the treated solution accelerate the oxidation process, by enabling a complex set of redox reactions.