Sludge flocs morphology and effluent qualities of nonwoven bioreactor during filamentous bulking and normal sludge status were compared. Flux variations, analysis of filtration resistances and extracellular polymer substances (EPS) contents during filamentous bulking and normal sludge status were studied. The results showed that the average particle size of bulking sludge flocs and normal sludge flocs was 448.6 microm and 234.8 microm, respectively. During the bulking sludge status, the average COD and NH4(+) -N removal rate and effluent turbidity were 90.1%, 93.1% and 1.33 NTU, respectively, compared with 91.4% , 97.0% and 0.99 NTU during the normal sludge status. Filamentous bulking had little impact on COD removal, while it inhibited NH4(+) -N removal to a certain extent and had slight impact on effluent turbidity. Average membrane flux decay rates during the bulking sludge status and the normal sludge status were 3.29 L x (m2 x h2)(-1) and 4.87 L x (m2 x h2)(-1), respectively, and the fouling during bulking sludge status was slighter. Reversible fouling was the main fouling when sludge was bulking while irreversible fouling was the main fouling when the sludge was in normal status. The prior occurrence of reversible fouling could reduce irreversible fouling therefore slow down the flux decline. Soluble microbial products (SMP) contents in normal sludge mixed liquid and bulking sludge mixed liquid were 21.369 mg x L(-1) and 10.182 mg x L(-1), respectively, protein/polysaccharide (P/C) was 0.370 and 0.497, respectively, SMP gross was related to fouling resistance and P/C was associated with reversible fouling proportion. The relation between loosely bound EPS in mixed liquid sludge and membrane fouling was similar to SMP. Sludge with more EPS could accumulate on membrane more easily, and the EPS that accumulated on membrane was mainly protein. EPS gross in mixed liquid sludge, EPS in membrane surface sludge and their P/C all had positive correlations to reversible fouling.