The increase in the disposal of refractory organics demands for newer technologies for the complete mineralization of these wastewaters. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) constitute a promising technology for the treatment of such wastewaters and this study presents a general review on such processes developed to decolorize and/or degrade organic pollutants. Fundamentals and main applications of typical methods such as Fenton, electro-Fenton, photo-Fenton, sono-Fenton, sono-photo-Fenton, sono-electro-Fenton and photo-electro-Fenton are discussed. This review also highlights the application of nano-zero valent iron in treating refractory compounds. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.