Study on the electrochemical disinfection with the H2O2 produced at the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) prepared from active carbon/ poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was performed in the non-membrane cell. The effects of PTFE mass fraction W(PTFE) and content of the pore-forming agent in GDE m(NH4CO3), operating conditions such as pH value and oxygen flow rate Q(o2)) on disinfection were investigated, respectively. The experimental results showed that H2 O2 reached peak production at W(PTFE) of 0.5 in GDE. Addition of the pore-forming agent in the appropriate amount improved the disinfection, and this phenomenon was more obvious at neutral pH than at acidic pH. BET specific area analysis indicated that the average pore size in the membrane electrode first decreased significantly with the increasing amount of pore-forming agent, and then increased moderately. This helped the mass transfer of oxygen at the GDE. Adsorption made little or no progress to kill the bacteria during the electrolysis. Drop of pH value resulted in a rapid rise of the germicidal efficacy. This system had a broad pH coverage: when total bacterial count in raw water was 10(6) CFU x mL(-1), pH 3-10,the germicidal efficacy was greater than 80% after 30 min electrolysis using the GDE with W(Pt) of 3 per thousand as cathode. Increase of the oxygen flow rate Q(o2) within limits had little influence on the production of H2 O2 and the succeeding disinfection. On one hand, resistance of the solution and energy consumption on the disinfection increased at high oxygen flow rate, which gave rise to an increase in the operating cost of disinfection with the GDE system; on the other hand, treatment time could be reduced reasonably at high oxygen flow rate, which leads to reduction of equipment investment. Killing mechanism study showed that the direct oxidation and formation of the free radicals at the anode played a greater role in the beginning, and then the oxidative indirect effect of the generated H2 O2 at the GDE enhanced rapidly with the prolonging of the reaction time. 30 min after electrolysis the germicidal efficacy in the anode compartment was almost the same as in the cathode compartment indicating that their contribution was similar at that time.