The effect on the growth and phenol degradation of the thermophilic strain BF80 by seventeen different metal ions were studied. The results showed that the metal ions certainly affected the growth and phenol degradation of the strain BF80. At the concentration of 0.01%, contrasting to the comparison, the growth and phenol degradation of the strain BF80 were restrained intensively by the metal ions of Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ba2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Ag+, Al3+. The metal ions of Cr2+ restrained the phenol degradation of BF80 strongly while Cr2+ restrained the growth of BF80 faintly. The metal ions of Sn2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Pn2+ restrained the growth and phenol degradation of the strain BF80 at a certain concentration, and the effect of inhibition increased with the increase of the concentrations of the metal ions. At the low concentration of Mn2+ or Mo2+, the growth and phenol degradation of the strain BF80 were increased, but if the concentration beyond the 0.1%, the growth and phenol degradation of the strain BF80 were inhibited. At the different concentration of Ca2+ or Mg2+, the growth of the strain BF80 were increased and the phenol degradation were accelerated, but the max rate of phenol degradation by BF80 was not influenced obviously. When the medium was added the mixture of metal ions of Mo2+ and Mn2+, the strain BF80 grew better, but the rate of the phenol degradation was lower than that of single Mo2+ and Mn2+.