The petrochemical industry constitutes one of the most important industrial sectors in Brazil. The great diversity of processes of manufacture makes to increase the necessity of characterization of the effluents generated in each industrial plant. In general, the effluents presents high grade of organic matter, whose removal is necessary to expect to the technical standards of discarding of industrials wastewaters. One of the used processes of treatment is the chemical coagulation followed by biological treatment. In chemical coagulation, aluminum or iron salts are used as coagulants. Because of the large fluctuations of organic load, which makes difficult the dosage of the coagulant, alternatives are being looked for the improvement of the treatment. In this context, the electrocoagulation may be an alternative to the chemical coagulation or can serve as a preliminar treatment. The present work consisted of assays of chemical coagulation (Jar Test) and of electrocoagulation in scale of laboratory, using effluent generated in a petrochemical industry manufacturer of synthetic rubber. The assays had allowed to compare the efficiencies of removal of organic matter by electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation, as well as comparing the efficiencies of these treatments in scale of laboratory with those gotten in the stage of treatment physical- chemical (chemical coagulation and flocculation) of Industrial Effluent Treatment Station of the cited industry. In all the cases, the efficiencies of organic load removal had been evaluated by the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand). In the chemical coagulation experiments in laboratory, the aluminum sulphate was used as coagulant. The investigated parameters have been pH excellent of coagulation and the excellent dosage of coagulant. The assays of the electrolytic process had been carried through in batch with aluminum electrodes. The investigated parameters have been the temperature, the applied potential, pH initial, the distance between electrodes, the number of electrodes and the consuming of them. The efficiencies of COD removal for the electrocoagulation process reached values up to three times higher that the monthly average observed in the treatment station of the studied industry in the chemical coagulation and flocculation stage. The results indicate the possibility of application of the process in the treatment of the studied effluent.