History
Ancient
Charcoal Production: One of the earliest and most widespread uses was turning wood into charcoal. Charcoal burns hotter and with less smoke than wood, making it a superior fuel for cooking, heating, and even early metallurgy. Archaeological evidence suggests Neanderthals were making charcoal in the Middle Paleolithic era.
Embalming and Tar: The ancient Egyptians used liquid fractions obtained from the pyrolysis of cedar wood in their embalming process. Various cultures also produced tar from wood pyrolysis to waterproof ships and ropes.
Early Chemistry: The process was also instrumental in the discovery of various chemical substances.
Industrial
Methanol and Acetic Acid: For a long time, dry distillation of wood (a form of pyrolysis) was the primary source of methanol and acetic acid, important chemicals for various industries.
"Lighting Gas": In the late 19th century, particularly in 1877 with Russian chemist A.A. Letnyi's patent, pyrolysis of hydrocarbons was used to produce "lighting gas" for street lamps.
Petrochemical Industry: The principles of oil pyrolysis were discovered, revealing that heavy oil residues could be broken down into lighter fractions like gasoline, kerosene, and aromatic hydrocarbons (like benzene derivatives). This was a crucial development for the chemical, petrochemical, and energy industries.
Decline and Re-emergence: The rise of the petroleum industry in the early 20th century, with its cheaper products, led to a decline in some pyrolysis applications. However, the oil crises of the 1970s and growing environmental concerns have spurred a renewed interest in pyrolysis, especially for converting biomass and waste into fuels and other valuable products.
Modern
Waste Recycling: Since the 1950s, pyrolysis technology has been adapted for waste recycling, converting materials like plastics and tires into fuel oil, gases, and char.
Biofuels and Biochar: Today, pyrolysis is a key technology in the production of biofuels (bio-oil and syngas) from biomass, as well as biochar, which can improve soil fertility and sequester carbon.
Advanced Recycling: In recent decades, innovators like German chemist Walter Kaminsky have significantly advanced pyrolysis for plastic recycling, developing methods to efficiently break down plastic waste into chemical components for new products.
Divergent Recycling: We're here to change the status quo and spark a paradigm shift in how Americans deal with waste by tackling the challenges head-on. From individual stockpiles and university recycling programs to county-wide landfill operations, and even state, federal, and global cleanup initiatives—our ambition knows no bounds. Our story has just begun, and the potential for what we can achieve is limited only by our imagination.