The effect of high cross flow velocity (CFV) on the operational efficiency of a pilot-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating antibiotic solvent effluents was explored. The average of total Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) removal efficiencies during four Runs were 96.5% and 98.7%. Meanwhile, biological removal contributions were 74.3% and 78%, the rest part was attributed by the physical removal process of the membrane block, VFA (Volatile Fatty Acids) and alpha value (VFA/alkalinity) increased with the increase of CFV, resulted alkalinity decreased. Biomass concentration mixed liquid suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) as well as the polysaccharide increased smoothly in the suspended sludge with the CFV increasing, and the protein content decreased gradually. However, the concentration of biomass, polysaccharide and protein presented opposite trends in the attached sludge of the membrane. The results indicated that AnMBR can effectively treat the antibiotic solvent wastewater under high CFV. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.