The performance of a continuous electrocoagulation (EC) process was investigated for decolorization and chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatement of a synthetic textile wastewater using aluminum electrodes. The effects of the relevant wastewater characteristics such as conductivity, influent pH and inlet dye concentration, but also of the key operating conditions such as current density and residence time were studied in order to optimize process performance. The results showed that color induced by a red dye was effectively removed (with a removal yield higher than 85%) for wastewater with a COD of 2500 mg/L and a dye concentration lower than 200 mg/L when pH ranged from 6 to 9, residence time was 14 min, current density was 31.25 mA/cm(2) and water conductivity was 2.4 mS/cm for an inter-electrode distance of I cm. Under these conditions, the COD abatement was also higher than 80%. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.