The pyrolysis behaviors of three main biomass components (lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose) were studied at 300–700 ℃ separately, then analysed to compare distribution and characterization of char. The results showed that lignin presented the highest char yield in the range of 39.79–72.94% at the examined temperatures, and was responsible for the formation of char, representing the main source of char characterized by the highest higher heating value (HHV). Lignin gave the strongest support for application of char as fuel for combustion charcoal decided by physicochemical properties and combustion reactivity of char, while cellulose could be considered as being the major contributor for char products as fuel for ignition charcoal. Besides, a comprehensive analysis of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and specific surface area of char showed that cellulose represented the main source of char characterized by the strongest adsorptive capacity mainly due to natural fibriform structure. Cellulose was major donator for phenol adsorption and Cu(II) adsorption decided by the highest specific surface area, and hemicellulse was the foremost precursor for Pb(II) adsorption influenced by a variety of factors but a specific surface area.