Abstract: An acidophilic sulfur\|oxidizing strain SS-3 was isolated from sewage sludge through enrichment in the S⁰ synthentic salts medium followed by inoculation of the appropriate serial dilutant in synthetic salts\|agar plate medium.The isolate metabolized S⁰ or S₂O₃^2- to SO₄^2- during growth but could not oxidize Fe²⁺ into Fe³⁺.Results from batch experiments showed that the inoculation of SS-3 and the addition of S 0 could accelerate the solubilization of Cr,Cu,Zn from sewage sludge.After 15 d of bioleaching,the following metal removal efficiencies were obtained:Cr 66.8%,Cu 95.4% and Zn 100%.