The transformation of heavy metal forms during sewage sludge bioleaching with elemental sulfur as substrate was investigated. The sequential selective extraction procedure was an effective way to reflect the variation in heavy metal forms. The exchangeable form of Cu, Pb and Zn after bioleaching accounted for 81.6, 40.2 and 75.8%, respectively. Cu at initial sludge mainly existed as sulfide precipitate form, most of which turned to exchangeable form during bioleaching, and was solubilized mostly by direct mechanism. The original forms of Pb and Zn were mainly carbonate precipitate and organically bound. Most of the carbonate precipitate Pb transformed into exchangeable form but a little of organically bound Pb. Pb was dissolved from the sludge due to transformation of carbonate precipitated and sulfide precipitated to exchangeable form by cooperation of both direct and indirect mechanisms. A majority of exchangeable Zn was transformed from organically bound and carbonate precipitated forms, and the bioleaching mechanism of Zn was mainly indirect. After bioleaching, the sewage sludge could be applied to land more safely because the heavy metals mainly existed in stable forms. The exchangeable Cu and Pb achieved an obvious increase at pH about 2, while exchangeable Zn showed higher percentage at pH about 3. The transformation of chemical forms for Cu had good relationship with ORP during bioleaching, but Zn was not influenced by ORP of sludge, which appeared to have high bioleaching efficiency at ORP less than 200 mV (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.