Abstract: As a new means of anaerobic digestion pretreatment，pulsed electric field( PEF) technology is highly concerned by foreign scholars． PEF can improve the physical and chemical properties of the sludge effectively，increase the concentration of dissolved substances in the sludge，and enhance the process of anaerobic digestion and methanogenic efficiency． Also PEF can be used as external electron donor for the denitrification nitrogen． But the treatment effect is influenced by many factors，and only under the rational conditions，the pretreatment effect of the sludge would achieve the best results． Since the application of PEF technology for domestic sludge pretreatment process is still in its infancy，according to literature，the mechanism of PEF technology is presented，and the effect of each control parameter is analyzed． At last，in order to provide scientific fundation for the actual production process，more research on its mechanism，related factors and operating equipment in the future studies are demanded．