The aim of this work was to prepare the bio-crudes from agricultural wastes (i.e., rice straw, rice husk, sugarcane bagasse and coconut shell) by using induction-heating pyrolysis at specified conditions. The quantitative analysis of 21 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bio-crudes examined using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed that the PAHs in biocrudes were primarily dominant in the low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs, including naphthalene (1.10-2.45 mg/L) and acenaphthene (0.72-7.61 mg/L). However, by considering carcinogenic potency, the bio-crudes from rice husk and sugarcane bagasse contained higher contents of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (0.52 and 0.92 mg/L, respectively) as compared to those from rice straw and coconut shell. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.