Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis (from greek pyr, "fire" and lysis, "loosing/unbind") is a thermochemical process which is able to convert organic compounds in presence of heat and absence of oxygen into valuable products which can be solid, liquid or gaseous. The chemical transformations of substances are generally accompanied by the breaking of chemical bonds which leads to the conversion of more complex molecules into simpler molecules. The products of pyrolysis are usually not the actual building blocks of the decomposed substance, but are structurally modified (e.g. by cyclization or rearrangement).

Process

The pyrolysis is an endothermal process which requires the input of energy.

In general, pyrolysis can be divided into different steps. The first step is the thermal excitation and thermal dissociation of the molecules, which produces free radicals. In the following step, chain reactions are triggered.

The pyrolysis can be modified by utilising reactive gases, liquids, catalysts, alternative forms of heat application (e.g. via microwaves or plasma), and a variety of reactor designs.