Pyrolysis of sewage sludge was performed at 500 degrees C and a sweeping gas flow rate of 300 cm(3)/min in a drop tube furnace. Liquid fraction (i.e., bio-oil) from the sewage sludge pyrolysis was separated by silica-gel column chromatography (SGCC) with different solvents, including mixed solvents, as eluants. A series of alkanenitriles (C(13)-C(18)), oleamide, alkenenitrile, fatty acid amides and aromatic nitrogen species were fractionated from the bio-oil by SGCC and analyzed with a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Most of the GC/MS-detectable organic nitrogen species (ONSs) are lactams, amides and N-heterocyclic compounds, among which acetamide is the most abundant. N-heterocyclics with 1-3 rings, including pyrrole, pyridine, indole, benzoimidazole, carbazole, norharman and harman, were observed. The lactams detected include pyrrolidin-2-one, succinimide, phathalimide, glutarimide, piperidin-2-one and 3-isobutylhexahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-1,4-dione, all of which should be formed via decarboxylation and cyclization of gamma- and delta-amino acids. Such a procedure provides an effective approach to fractionation and identification of ONSs from bio-oil produced by fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.