Sewage sludge (SS) and SS impregnated with activating agents (ZnCl

2

and KOH) were pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor to produce gaseous fuel and activated char. The effects of heating rate

pyrolysis temperature and activator type on gas yields

pore structure and adsorption properties of activated char were systematically studied. The results demonstrated that increasing the pyrolysis temperature from 450 ℃ to 850 ℃ proportionally enhanced H

2

and CO yields from the rapid pyrolysis of SS

while CH

4

yield showed minimal variation between 650 ℃ and 850 ℃. ZnCl

2

notably increased the CO yield

reaching 71.9 ml·g

-1

at 850 ℃

but caused a marked reduction in CH

4

yield under the tested conditions. Similarly

KOH promoted CO yield at 750 ℃ and 850 ℃

with minimal impact on CH

4

production. Both activators facilitated higher H

2

yields in the range of 450-550 ℃

while the maximum H

2

yield (109.8 ml·g

-1

) was observed at 850 ℃ in the absence of activator. The activated char derived from ZnCl

2

-assisted pyrolysis exhibited well-developed micro- and mesopore structures

with specific surface areas ranging from 188.2 to 54.1 m

2

·g

-1

across pyrolysis temperatures of 450-850 ℃. When evaluated as adsorbents for methylene blue removal

activated char with greater specific surface area and total pore volume exhibited superior adsorption capac

ity. The adsorption process was well-described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.