A novel sulfidogenic process via sulfur reduction to remove arsenate in acid mine drainage: Insights into the performance and microbial mechanisms.

Biological sulfidogenic processes based on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are not suitable for arsenic (As)-containing acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment because of the formation of the mobile thioarsenite during sulfate reduction. In contrast, biological sulfidogenic processes based on sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB) produce sulfide without pH increase, which could achieve more effective As removal than the SRB-based process. However, the reduction ability and toxicity tolerance of SRB to As remains mysterious, which may substantially affect the practical applicability of this process when treating arsenate (As(V))-containing AMD.