Four different treatment methods based on the HO% production were assessed to oxidize and mineralize the herbicide picloram (PCL), which is considered very toxic and so is a potential contaminant of surface and ground water. The processes based on the Fenton type (homolysis reaction of HOCl by Fe 2+ ions) and photo-Fenton type reaction (using a 9 W UVA light) with in situ electrogenerated HOCl species, using a commercial DSA ® anode in the presence of Cl − ions, led to poor mineralization performances in comparison to the HOCl/UVC process. In that case, the homolysis reaction of HOCl mediated by a 5 or 9 W UVC light resulted in almost complete removal of the organic load within 12 h of treatment, from acidic to neutral solutions and using 1 g L −1 of NaCl concentration after optimization of the experimental conditions. When the HOCl/UVC process using a 5 W UVC light is compared to the electrochemical method using a boron-doped diamond anode (electrochemical/BDD), the oxidation and mineralization rates of the HOCl/UVC process were always superior, with ∼95% removal of total organic carbon (TOC) after 12 h treatment. The energy consumption per unit mass of removed TOC remained around 4 and 8 kW h g −1 for the HOCl/UVC and electrochemical/BDD treatment processes after 90% removal of TOC, respectively, even considering the energy consumption of the UVC lamp. In the final treatment stages, high CO 2 conversions were obtained using both methods, as the generated intermediates were almost completely eliminated. Finally, the HOCl/UVC process is a reasonable option to treat solutions contaminated with organic pollutants as the common problems associated with the Fenton based (acidic solution, Fe 2+ ion recovery, generation of H 2 O 2) and electrochemical/BDD (mass transport) processes can be readily circumvented.