Methods for removing e.g. odor-causing components from liquid sludge, and, in one embodiment, a process for sludge deodorization which includes pretreating the sludge to gasify certain components, reducing the size of solids in the sludge, feeding the thus treated sludge tea stripping tower and therein removing in a stripping gas undesirable components from a thin film of the sludge on the interior tower wall. Preferably, the treated sludge is dewatered. Products from the tower may be recycled for further treatment until a desired odor level is achieved or discharged from the process. The process may be batch or batch-wise continuous.