Pyrolyzing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The method involves thermally breaking down organic matter in the absence of oxygen at high temperatures while resulting in simpler chemical compounds and solid byproducts
2. This technique refers to the thermal decomposition of materials without oxygen, generating gaseous and solid products from organic substances under high heat
3. This process entails the high-temperature thermal breakdown of organic materials without oxygen, producing gaseous products and carbon-rich solids

Etymology: Pyrolyzing is the present participle of "pyrolyze," and its story is really the story of the verb it comes from. "Pyrolyze" is built from two Greek elements: "pyr," meaning fire, and "lysis," meaning loosening or breaking apart. Put together, the sense is a breaking-down by heat, which is exactly what happens when organic material such as wood, plastic or tyres is heated strongly in the absence of oxygen so that it decomposes rather than burns. The "-ize" ending that appears in the American spelling signals a verb formed in English from the Greek stem, the same pattern seen in many scientific coinages. The British spelling "pyrolyse" follows the same logic with the -ise ending.

Synonyms: decomposing, thermally degrading