Microbial electrolysis cells (MEC), coupled with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), was used to degrade sulfate-rich wastewater that is deficient in electron donors. However, because of the impact of electric double layers (EDLs), salt crystals formed on the electrode, thereby potentially retarding the continuity of sulfate removal during the whole operation. Here, an improved MEC reactor using intermittent electric field was established. It works better in sulfate removal for a longer period, which was higher than the conventional MEC reactor by 2.18-fold after 10 days. Observation on the activity of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and ATP revealed that the formation of salt crystals on the electrode led to plasmatorrhexis. Conversely, improved reactor contributed to extracellular substances production and prevented the salt crystal formation, which was conducive to biofilm formation as further verified by detection through SEM. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests showed that the cathodic microorganisms accelerated electron transfer whereas the salt crystals increased the charge transfer resistance. High-throughput sequencing analysis illustrated that improved reactor could maintain the competitiveness of SRB in the microbial community for a longer period. Moreover, the improved reactor resulted in high species diversity, thereby showing the significant resistance of the microorganisms to arduous environments. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.