ObjectiveRecently, nitrate contamination still exists in water bodies in China, which not only leads to frequent eutrophication, but also potentially endangers human health. Therefore, this study aims to effectively address nitrogen-containing water pollution issues.MethodsIn the experiment, autotrophic denitrification process of elemental sulfur powder was combined with gravity-driven dynamic membrane bioreactor technology to investigate the denitrification potential and membrane fouling behavior of the coupling system at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs).ResultsWhen the initial sulfur powder/sludge ratio was 4 and the influent ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}-N$ was approximately 22 mg/L, the HRT was shortened from 12 h to 4 h, and the removal rate of ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}-N$ reached 100% in a short time. However, when the HRT was 2 h, the operating effect of the reactor began to deteriorate, the ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}-N$ removal rate decreased significantly, and the accumulation of ${\text{NO}}_2^{-}-N$ was serious. During the whole operation, the transmembrane pressure difference increased from 0 to 1 470 Pa. Meanwhile, the disparity in pollutant concentration between supernatant and effluent revealed that the dynamic membrane exhibited notable secondary removal performance of ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}-N$, indicating that the dynamic membrane had formed stably and had good metabolic activity. The observation of dynamic membranes at different stages by scanning electron microscopy showed that a large number of bacilli and filamentous bacteria adhering to the sulphur powder accumulated within the dynamic membrane mesh, ultimately resulting in severe irreversible membrane contamination.ConclusionThe sulfur-autotrophic dynamic membrane bioreactor proposed in this study demonstrates high denitrification performance and resilience to shock loads. The findings are expected to provide a certain technological foundation for the development of green and low-consumption wastewater denitrification technologies.