Abstract: The adsorption and biodegradation effects of functional phases in powdered activated carbon treatment processes (PACT) were comparatively studied in removing pollutants from real and simulated wastewater. The influence of powder activated carbon (PAC) dosage and sludge biomass on the reaction kinetics of the degradation of pollutants in the PACT process was studied. The acting characteristics and mechanisms of PACT were discussed. The results showed that the PACT process exhibited better removal efficiency compared with the activated carbon adsorption process and activated sludge technology. It also displayed sustained degradation ability for the pollutants. The treatment effect of the PACT process increased with increased dosage of powder activated carbon (PAC); the optimal concentration of activated sludge was over 1500 mg/L. Kinetic curve fitting revealed that a pseudo second-order kinetics equation could accurately depict the degradation of organic pollutants in the PACT process. The adsorption in the PACT process was not the controlling step; the biodegradation performance was the most important. SEM images of the PAC in the sludge from the PACT process clearly revealed the biological carrier effect of PAC. The immobilized carrier effect was the main bioaugmentation mechanism in the PACT process.