The main aim of this research was to reveal the heating characteristics of palm shell char (PSC) acting as a microwave absorber (MA) for the pyrolysis of oil palm biomass (shell and fibre). This was done by mixing oil palm biomass with PSC-MA and subjecting it to microwave irradiation. A domestic microwave oven with a maximum power of 1000 W and 2.45 GHz frequency was used. Prior to pyrolysis, the heating characteristic of PSC-MA in terms of its temperature profile (through batch and continuous temperature measurements) was examined. It was found that PSC-MA could act as very good microwave receptor. However, the method of temperature measurement played an important role in the heating and pyrolysis behaviour. A minimum microwave power of 450 W was needed to carry out the pyrolysis process in the present work. Results of the microwave pyrolysis show that the ratio of biomass to PSC-MA has a significant influence on the product yield. A synergistic effect between PSC-MA and the biomass can reduce the consumption of energy, time and cost of the thermo-chemical process.