Performance of a full-scale combined treatment plant for jean-wash wastewater (JWW) was investigated. The combined process consisted of chemical coagulation, hydrolysis/acidification and Fenton oxidation. Chemical coagulation treatment with polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS)/lime alone proved to be effective in removing the COD (>70%) and part of the color (>50%) from the JWW. Fenton oxidation combined with hydrolysis/acidification as pretreatment offered a noticeable BOD removal efficiency. The average removal efficiencies for COD, BOD, SS, color and aromatic compounds of the combined process were about 95%, 94%, 97%, 95% and 90%, respectively, with the average effluent quality of COD 58 mg/L, BOD 19 mg/L, SS 4 mg/L and color 15(multiple), consistent with the national discharge limits for textile wastewater. The result indicated that the combined procedure could offer an attractive solution for JWW treatment with considerable synergistic advantages. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.