Three materials were prepared from paper sludge (PS) using different treatment processes and their sorption abilities for phosphate and methylene blue (MB) were determined. The samples were a powder sample prepared by heating PS in air (sample C), a pellet prepared by grinding, forming and heating PS in air (sample G) and a powder prepared by physical activation of PS in flowing wet nitrogen (sample A). The three samples were heated at 600-900 degrees C for 6h. On heating at 700-800 degrees C, the organic fibers, limestone (CaCO3) kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)(4)) and talc (Mg3Si4O10(OH)(2)) in the original PS were converted to amorphous CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CAS) and talc in sample C, while CAS was formed in sample G and activated carbon, CAS and talc was formed in sample A. On heating at 900 degrees C the CAS converted to gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7) and anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8). The specific surface areas (SBET) of the three samples achieved maximum values of 23, 37 and 70 m(2)/g upon heating at 700, 600 and 600 degrees C, respectively. The SBET value of the activated sample A was distinctly lower than usually reported for activated carbon. The samples C, G and A achieved maximum phosphate sorption capacities of 2.04, 1.38 and 1.70 mmol/g, calculated from the Langmuir model, upon heating at 700, 700 and 800 C, respectively. The maximum sorption capacity for phosphate in sample C is attributed to the sorption by CAS, namely, adsorption on the alumina component and precipitation as Ca-phosphates. The MB multifunctional sorption capacity of sample A was 0.11 mmol/g. The phosphate and MB sorption rates show better correlation with a pseudo-second order model than with other models. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.