Abstract: An aerated biological fluidized tank (ABFT) was used for the treatment of synthetic and actual high-concentration phenolic refinery wastewater. The removal efficiency of total phenols was above 99% with the influent phenol concentration between 200 mg/L and 4900 mg/L. Most phenol was removed in the first chamber of the ABFT reactor, while the other chambers were used to further secure the stability of the effluent to give the reactor strong capability against shock loads. The result showed that the phenol removal efficiency of the first chamber of ABFT was usually above 70% under high phenolic loading rate of 4.80～7.84 kg/(m³·d). In addition, the attached-growth biofilm predominated in the ABFT reactor, in which filamentous microorganisms were predominant and important. Stable phenol removal was achieved under high phenolic loading rates in the treatment of both synthetic and actual refinery wastewater using ABFT, which showed great application potential.