Empty fruit bunches (EFBs), a waste material from the palm oil industry, were subjected to pyrolysis and gasification. A high content of volatiles (> 82%) increased the reactivity of EFBs, and more than 90% decomposed at 700 degrees C; however, a high content of moisture (> 50%) and oxygen (> 45%) resulted in a low calorific value. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the higher the heating rate and the smaller the particle size, the higher the peak and final reaction temperatures. The least squares estimation for a first-order reaction model was used to study the degradation kinetics. The values of activation energy increased from 61.14 to 73.76 and from 40.06 to 47.99 kJ/mol when the EFB particle size increased from 0.3 to 1.0 mm for holocellulose and lignin degradation stages, respectively. The fuel characteristics of EFB are comparable to those of other biomasses and EFB can be considered a good candidate for gasification. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.