An electrohydraulic discharge system of salt-resistance has been developed and analyzed for p-chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation. The discharge electrodes used in the system was consisted of four steel acupuncture needles (O 0.25 mm) which were covered by capillaries through which gas was supplied to the discharge region, forming gas bubbles. In the comparing system, the aeration capillaries were encapsulated and the bubbling was cancelled. It was confirmed that introducing gas into the discharge zone could reduce the affection of salt content in the pulsed high-voltage electrohydraulic discharge system. In the non-bubbling system, the formation of active species and 4-CP degradation was sharply influenced by increasing salt content. The formation rate of hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide was decreased almost to zero and the 4-CP was hardly removed as the NaCl concentration was higher than 5.0 x 10(-3) mol L-1. But in the developed system, the formation rates were changed little with increasing the salt concentration. Increasing the NaCl concentration high to 0.1 mol L-1, the hydroxyl radical formation rate was 4.43 x 10(-7) mol L-1 sand the removal rate of 4-CP was still high, where more than 90% was removed in 18 min. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.