Toxicity prevents the bioenergy content of certain industrial effluents from being recovered. In operation of microbial fuel cell (MFC), microorganisms can be inhibited with high levels of sulfide. This study applied a pure culture, an autotrophic denitrifier, Pseudomonas sp. C27, to start up a two-chambered MFC using sulfide as the sole electron donor. The MFC can successfully convert sulfide to elementary sulfur with electricity generation at a maximum power density of 40 mW m(-2). The addition of acetate interfered biofilm activity to convert sulfide to electricity. Nitrate was revealed as the more powerful electron acceptor than anode in the MFC. The present device introduces a route for treating sulfide laden wastewaters with electricity harvest. Copyright (c) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.