In the last years, anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technology is being considered as a very appealing alternative for wastewater treatment due to the significant advantages over conventional anaerobic treatment and aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Many articles have touted the diverse potential applications of AnMBR in various stream treatment, and membrane fouling issues. In current review, the fundamentals of AnMBR (including advantages and configurations, membrane materials and modules, and history development), application development in various stream treatment, and membrane fouling researches are summarized and critically assessed. The characteristics of AnMBR and aerobic MBR for wastewater treatment are also compared. AnMBR technology appears to be suitable for treatment of various streams, especially for food industrial wastewater and municipal wastewater. AnMBR treatment usually encounters more serious membrane fouling problem. This, however, can be remedied through various conventional and novel membrane fouling control or cleaning measures. Based on the review, future research perspectives relating to its application and membrane fouling research are proposed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.