Under microwave irradiation, raw sludge was pyrolyzed mainly by evaporation of water, with a weight loss ratio of 84.8% and a maximum temperature not exceeding 200 degrees C. High-temperature pyrolysis of SiC sludge could be realized, with a weight loss ratio of 93.4% and a final pyrolysis temperature of 1131.7 degrees C. Variations between the electric field intensity distribution are the main reason for the differences of pyrolysis efficiencies. HFSS simulation showed that the electric field intensity of the raw sludge gradually decreased from 2.94 x 10(4) V/m to 0.88 x 10(4) V/m when pyrolysis ends, while that of SiC sludge decreased from 3.73 x 10(4) V/m at the beginning to 1.28 x 10(4) V/m, then increased to 4.03 x 10(4) V/m. The electromagnetic effect is the main factor (r >= 0.91) influencing the temperature increase and weight loss of raw sludge. Both the electromagnetic effect and heat conduction effect influenced temperature rise and weight loss of SiC sludge, but the former's influence was comparatively larger. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.