Pyrolysis is a pollution treatment method that involves the thermal degradation of organic waste in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment, producing combustible gases and a solid residue.
In the case of pyrolysis applied to remediation, this method can be used to degrade soils contaminated by petroleum products, hydrocarbons and other volatile organic compounds. Pyrolysis breaks down these pollutants into gaseous products such as methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen, as well as a solid residue known as activated carbon.
The advantages of pyrolysis are that it is effective in treating soils contaminated by volatile organic pollutants, recovers energy in the form of combustible gases, and produces a solid residue that can be used as an adsorbent or fuel. In addition, pyrolysis reduces the volume of waste and can be used on site, without the need to transport waste to an external treatment site.
Pyrolysis can be an effective method for treating soils contaminated with volatile organic pollutants, but it must be used with care to avoid negative impacts on the environment and public health.
For on-site or off-site remediation, other treatment methods can be used, such as anaerobic biostimulation, bioventing, composting, containment, thermal desorption, excavation, vacuum extraction, incineration, landfarming, chemical washing, chemical oxidation, phytomanagement, chemical reduction, stabilization, stripping, biological treatment or granulometric sorting.