In this study, fast pyrolysis of palm kernel cake (PKC) was carried out in a closed-tubular reactor over a temperature range of 550 to 750 degrees C with various retention times. The pyrolyzing gas products mainly included CO, CO(2), and light hydrocarbons; it is noted that no hydrogen was detected in the product. In order to investigate the reaction pathway, the kinetic lump model of Liden was applied to verify and calculate all rate constants. The results obtained at different temperatures indicated that the rate constant increased with pyrolysis temperature. Furthermore, the experimental results were in good agreement with the proposed mechanism. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.