In this work, degradation of C.I. Acid Red 33 (AR33) in aqueous solutions was investigated. The combined electrolysis-ozone (EGO) process optimized based on SnO2 nanoparticles electrode (nano-SnO2/Ti) as anode using response surface methodology (RSM) involving a five-level central composite design (CCD). The nano-SnO2/Ti electrode was prepared using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. The electrode was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The initial pH, current density, reaction time and electrolyte concentration were selected as independent variables in central composite design while color removal efficiency was considered as the response function. Based on analysis of variance (ANOVA), the coefficient of determination value (R-2 =0.981) was high. In optimum conditions, maximum color removal efficiency (93.2%) was obtained after 16 min; and the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was reduced to 57.1% after 60 min. (C) 2014 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.