To better understand liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass, wood and its three cell wall components (lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose) were subjected to a liquefaction process using polyethylene glycol (PEG 400)/glycerol as liquefaction solvent. On the basis of the experimental results obtained at different temperatures (140, 160, and 180 degrees C), a kinetics of liquefaction of wood and its major cell wall components was presented, and the kinetic parameters were estimated. The values of total activation energy obtained in the liquefaction were about 44.31 kJ mol(-1) of lignin, 40.49 kJ mol(-1) of hemicellulose, 73.25 kJ mol(-1) of cellulose and 63.93 kJ mol(-1) of wood. Hemicellulose was the most susceptible component to liquefaction among the three cell wall components, followed by the lignin and cellulose. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.