The feasibility of electrochemical hydrodehalogenation (HDH) of 2,4-dibromophenol (DBP) in paraffin oil has been evaluated for short or long operation periods of up to 170 h. HDH has been performed successfully using a solid polymer electrolyte reactor in a batch recycle mode with a dilute H2SO4 aqueous solution as the anode feed and source of protons. The work reported in this paper expands the application of electrochemical HDH from aqueous systems to non-conductive media. The effect of the operating conditions, including current density, reactant concentration and temperature, is evaluated. The results are compared with those achieved in the aqueous solutions. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.