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Lead-containing sludge produced from lead-acid battery factory will cause environmental hazards if they are not treated properly. A novel process was developed to recycle lead from sludge back into Fe-doped PbO 2 electrodes and realize sludge reduction in this study. The effects of Fenton conditioning on Pb removal efficiency in electro-kinetic (EK) treatment process and its mechanism as well as electro-dewatering (ED) performance were investigated. It was found that the oxidation of Fenton can promote desorption and release of Pb from the organic binding state, and improve the removal efficiency of Pb during EK process, as well as enhance sludge ED performance. About 63.8 wt% Pb can be removed from sludge during EK process, achieving sludge reduction of 63.5 wt% by ED treatment. The composite PbO 2 @Fe electrode recovered from lead-containing sludge showed a high electrocatalytic activity for acid red G (ARG) degradation. The electrode obtained by electrodeposition at 20 mA cm−2 had the largest exchange current density (3.26 × 10−5 A cm−2). In the experiment of dye wastewater electrocatalytic degradation, over 99.5% organic matter was degraded within 80 min. [Display omitted] • A closed-loop electrokinetic system for lead-containing sludge was developed. • Fenton conditioning can enhance lead electro-kinetic recovery from sludge. • Removal efficiency of Pb during electro-kinetic process reaching 63.80%. • Achieving sludge reduction of 63.52 wt % by electro-dewatering. • More than 99.5% organic matter in dye wastewater was degraded by PbO 2 @Fe electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]