In this study the leachates derived from used tires were firstly characterized by means of the evaluation of their organic matter content. The leachate from tire powder presented a COD value of 508 Mg O-2 l(-1) and a TOC of 214 mg C l(-1). The main identified organic substances were constituents of the rubber structure: benzothiazole derivatives, phthalates, phenolic derivatives, hydrocarbons and fatty acids. The application of photo-Fenton treatment was investigated in order to obtain the maximum organic matter removal. When a solar chamber as light source was used (light intensity = 500 W m(-2)), the best operational conditions were the following: [H2O2] = 3703 mg l(-1), [Fe-2+] = 92.1 mg l(-1), initial pH 2.7-3.0, reaction time = 100 min. After the photo-Fenton treatment at optimum conditions, the reached COD and TOC reduction was 64% and 48%, respectively. The main initial organic substances were eliminated after the reaction and no significant by-products were identified. A complementary treatment consisted of coagulation-flocculation carried out with FeCl3 center dot 6H(2)O at pH 12 produced a maximum organic matter removal of 43% as COD and 39% as TOC. A combination of photo-Fenton followed by coagulation-flocculation enhanced the organic matter removal: a reduction of 77% of COD and 64% of TOC was attained. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.