The mineralization of aqueous solutions of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid ͑MCPA͒ in 0.05 M Na 2 SO 4 with adjusted pH 2.0-6.0 using H 2 SO 4 has been studied by an UV-assisted cathodic Fenton treatment such as photoelectro-Fenton at low current and at 35°C, using an undivided cell with a Pt anode and an O 2 -diffusion cathode. This method allows the complete depollution of solutions of pH 3.0 with an herbicide concentration of up to 380 mg L Ϫ1 and 1 mM Fe 2ϩ . This is feasible by the high concentration of oxidizing hydroxyl radicals produced in the medium by the Fenton's reaction between added Fe 2ϩ and H 2 O 2 electrogenerated by the cathode, along with photolysis of some products. Comparative treatment by a general cathodic Fenton method such as electro-Fenton only yields 70-75% of mineralization due to the formation of hardly oxidizable products. MCPA is much more slowly degraded by anodic oxidation in the absence and presence of electrogenerated H 2 O 2 . The herbicide decay always follows a pseudo first-order reaction. Aromatic products such as 4-chloro-o-cresol, methylhydroquinone, and methyl-pbenzoquinone have been followed by reverse-phase chromatography. Chloride ions are formed from oxidation of chlorinated products. Generated carboxylic acids such as glycolic, glyoxylic, formic, malic, maleic, fumaric, and oxalic, have been detected by ion-exclusion chromatography. These products are destroyed by electro-Fenton, except oxalic acid that forms stable complexes with Fe 3ϩ . The efficient photodecarboxylation of such complexes by UV light explains the complete mineralization of MCPA by photoelectro-Fenton.