Synthetic vanillin is widely used in industries such as food and cosmetics, and it isalso produced as a by-product in various processes. This study was conductedto compare the degradation of vanillin using homogeneous and heterogeneouselectro-Fenton (EF) processes. Initially, electrocatalytic characterization was per-formed on a cathode material synthesized by solvothermal deposition of cobalt fer-rite (CoFe 2 O4 ) nanostructures onto a carbon felt (CF) substrate and compared withbare CF. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the CF@CoFe 2O 4 cathode material invanillin oxidation was compared at different pH values and currents with the hetero-geneous electro-Fenton process. The highest vanillin degradation and total organiccarbon (TOC) removal were achieved at pH 3. Following a 3 h heterogeneous EF pro-cess at 50 mA, 100% degradation, and 74% TOC removal were achieved, while theelectrode's performance remained unchanged after 5 reuses. This study reports thefirst-time use of a CF@CoFe2 O4 cathode in the electro-Fenton degradation of vanil-lin, achieving faster and more efficient removal than a conventional CF cathode whileensuring stability, low metal ion leaching, and environmental compatibility for sus-tainable treatment of persistent organic pollutants. Vanillin degradation was furtheraccelerated at pH 3 due to reduced mass transfer limitations, enhanced hydroxyl rad-ical generation from controlled metal ion leaching, and a more efficient redox cyclingof metal ions.