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Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen and water. When water is present hydrous pyrolysis takes place. The term pyrolysis generally refers to anhydrous pyrolysis, without water, and that is the subject of this article.
Anhydrous pyrolysis has been assumed to take place during catagenesis, the conversion of kerogen to fossil fuels.
One use of industrial pyrolysis is to extract usable fuels from a wide variety of organic products. The production of charcoal through the pyrolysis of wood has been widely used. In many industrial applications the process is done under pressure and at operating temperatures above 430°C (800°F).
It also can be used to degrade wastes, as a form of incineration. Pyrolysis is also a common technique to produce liquids from solid biomass. The most common technique uses very low residence times (<2 seconds) and high heating rates using a temperature between 350-500 °C and is called either fast or flash pyrolysis.
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