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Biomass liquefaction is a major process used to obtain fuel additives, valuable chemicals, and high-quality activated carbon. In this work, three major biomass components (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) and corn stalk were liquefied, and the corresponding liquefaction residue yields were 0.62%, 14.56%, 1.98%, and 1.29%, respectively, using polyhydric alcohols and acid catalysis under atmospheric pressure. The liquefaction residues from the corn stalk and biomass components were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the corn stalk residues were mainly large molecules produced by interactions of some small molecules and incompletely degraded cellulose; condensation polymers generated from the reaction of degraded substances derived from lignin or hemicellulose; and insoluble components containing reactants from the degraded substances of the three major components and the insoluble substances generated by the liquefaction agents during the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]