The solvolysis behavior and reaction kinetics of the three components of biomass (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) liquefied in polyhydric alcohols (PEG 400 or glycerol) were investigated in this paper. Three stages were observed during the solvolysis process and the main degradation stage could be further divided into two zones. The influences of solvents on the liquefaction process of three main components were compared. Based on Starink and Malek methods, kinetic parameters and mechanism functions were obtained. The derived average activation energy of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were 108.73, 95.66 and 94.13 kJ mol(-1) in PEG 400, while the values were 102.16, 77.43 and 89.10 kJ mol(-1) in glycerol, respectively. Higher efficiency was observed when using glycerol as solvent, which could be ascribed to the higher polarity value of glycerol. The conversion curves calculated with obtained mechanism models and kinetic parameters were in good agreement with the experimental data. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.