Pyrolysis is a thermochemical treatment, which can be applied to any organic (carbon-based) product. It can be done on pure products as well as mixtures. In this treatment, material is exposed to high temperature, and in the absence of oxygen goes through chemical and physical separation into different molecules. The decomposition takes place thanks to the limited thermal stability of chemical bonds of materials, which allows them to be disintegrated by using the heat.

Thermal decomposition leads to the formation of new molecules. This allows to receive products with a different, often more superior character than original residue. Thanks to this feature, pyrolysis becomes increasingly important process for today industry – as it allows to bring far greater value to common materials and waste.

Pyrolysis is frequently associated with thermal treatment. But in contrary to combustion and gasifications processes, which involve entire or partial oxidation of material, pyrolysis bases on heating in the absence of air. This makes it mostly endothermic process that ensure high energy content in the products received.

Pyrolysis products always produce solid (charcoal, biochar), liquid and non-condensable gases (H2, CH4, CnHm, CO, CO2 and N). As the liquid phase is extracted from pyrolysis gas only during it’s cooling down, in some applications, these two streams can be used together when providing hot syngas directly to the burner or oxidation chamber, more information is found here Directions of hot syngas utilisation.

During the pyrolysis, a particle of material is heated up from the ambient to defined temperature. The material remains inside the pyrolysis unit and is transported by screw conveyor at defined speed, until the completion of the process. Chosen temperature of pyrolysis defines the composition and yields of products (pyrolysis oil, syngas and char).

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