Pyrolytic behavior and kinetic of wood sawdust were studied at non-isothermal and isothermal conditions. The characteristic temperatures of similar to 230 degrees C, similar to 300 degrees C, similar to 345 degrees C, similar to 370 degrees C corresponded to degradation of pseudo hemicelluloses 1, hemicellulose 2, cellulose, lignin under non-isothermal condition, respectively. The release behaviors of gaseous products were closely related to the characteristic temperatures of weight loss. The tar generation could be characterized by -CH3 group that was mainly dominated the by decompositions of hemicelluloses and cellulose. Under isothermal condition, the weight of derived biochar was described by a function of w(char) = 775.5-2.9T + 0.0037T(2)-1.6 x 10(-6)T(3). A novel nth-order discrete distributed activation energy model was developed to study the non-isothermal kinetic. The characteristic weight fractions of woody sawdust pyrolysis were found at conversions of 0.29, 0.30, 0.65, 0.84, 0.88 and 0.95. Parallel reaction model could explain the non-isothermal kinetic well with similar reaction orders to discrete distributed activation energy model. The isothermal kinetic of pyrolysis could be described by three or four components parallel reaction with nth-order Avrami-Erofeev model. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.