Abstract:

Biological sulfate reduction is fit for treating sulfate-containing wastewaters. But sulfate rich wastewaters are usually deficient in electron donors. Theoretically，sulfate conversion requires electron donors，and requires external addition of electron donors in order to achieve complete sulfate reduction. In this papers，various electron donors employed in biological sulfate reduction are reviewed. Widely used electron donors include hydrogen，formate，methanol，ethanol，lactate，volatile fatty acids（VFA），sugar，hydrocarbons and organic waste. The selection criteria for suitable electron donors are discussed.