The electrochemical oxidation of 2-naphthol has been studied by galvanostatic electrolysis, using a range of electrode materials such as lead dioxide, boron-doped diamond (BDD) and Ti-Ru-Sn ternary oxide anodes. The influence of some operating parameters, such as current density, flow-rate and chloride concentration on naphthol oxidation has been investigated in order to find the optimum experimental conditions. Measurements of chemical oxygen demand, HPLC and total organic carbon have been used to follow the oxidation. The experimental data indicate that on PbO2 and BDD, naphthol oxidation takes place by reaction with electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals and is favoured by low current density and high flow-rate. On the contrary, on a Ti-Ru-Sn ternary oxide the mineralisation of naphthol occurs only in the presence of chloride ions that act as redox mediators and COD removal is affected by chloride concentration and is not significantly influenced by the current density and mass-transfer coefficient. From a comparison of the results of the three electrodes it has been found that boron-doped diamond gives a faster oxidation rate and better current efficiency. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.