FIELD: environmental control; gas cleaning practice; methods for recovering sulphur compounds from water containing minor amounts of organic matter. SUBSTANCE: sulphur compounds are first treated with sulfate-reducing bacteria to anaerobically reduce sulphur compounds to sulfides. During this process, electron donor is added to water to partially oxidize sulfides to elemental sulphur. Electron donor consumption can be minimized by using one or several techniques, namely: either by maintaining sulfate concentration in anaerobic discharge at level, at least 500 mg/l; or by maintaining sulfide concentration in anaerobic discharge at level, at least 100 mg/l; or by maintaining salt concentration, as expressed in sodium ion equivalents, in anaerobic medium at level, at least 3 mg/l; or by maintaining sulfide concentration in anaerobic inflowing medium at level, at least 100 mg/l; or else by adding to anaerobic medium to be treated such inhibiting agent as is more toxic for methane-producing bacteria than for incompletely oxidizing sulfate-reducing bacteria or for sulfate-reducing bacteria oxidizing compounds containing single carbon atom. EFFECT: higher effectiveness of sulphur recovery; improved economic and ecological aspects of production process. 22 cl, 3 dwg
