IV. Chemical Recovery

1. Thermochemical Waste Recovery: Pyrolysis and Gasification

Pyrolysis and gasification are advanced thermochemical processes that convert waste into energy, fuels and industrial feedstocks, helping to reduce environmental impacts and support the circular economy.

Pyrolysis

Thermal treatment in the absence of oxygen produces:

• Pyrolysis oil – a potential fuel or chemical feedstock
• Pyrolysis gas – for heat and electricity generation
• Char – with potential applications in soil improvement and carbon storage, depending on the feedstock and its properties

When biomass is used as the feedstock, the liquid and solid products are referred to as bio-oil and biochar.

Gasification

Thermal treatment with a controlled supply of oxygen and/or steam produces synthesis gas (syngas), whose main combustible components are hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO). Syngas can:

• be used directly for energy generation,
• serve as a feedstock for chemicals and other industrial products.

Our laboratory capabilities

Our research laboratory conducts studies at laboratory and pilot scales, enabling flexible process testing and optimisation to support industrial applications. Our services include:

• Feedstock characterisation – moisture content, ash content, elemental composition and calorific value
• Process monitoring – temperature, pressure, residence time and reactor operating parameters
• Gas analysis – syngas composition and calorific value
• Liquid product analysis – properties of pyrolysis oil, including pH, density, viscosity and composition
• Solid residue characterisation – properties of char and ash, including surface area, carbon content and nutrients
• Performance assessment – energy balances, conversion efficiency and emissions analysis

2. Innovative Catalytic Processes

Alongside pyrolysis and gasification, our centre focuses on catalytic processes. One of our key research areas is olefin metathesis, which enables the conversion of components in pyrolysis oil into valuable chemical feedstocks.

Why is this important?

Using specially developed catalysts, we convert components of pyrolysis oil into propylene, one of the chemical industry's most important feedstocks. Propylene plays a key role in manufacturing plastics, fibres and a wide range of chemical products.

This approach enables the conversion of waste-derived oils into high-value feedstocks and strengthens the connection between waste recovery and sustainable chemical manufacturing.

Our laboratory capabilities

• Catalyst testing and evaluation – investigation of homogeneous and heterogeneous metathesis catalysts
• Feedstock analysis – characterisation of the composition, olefin content and contaminants in pyrolysis oil fractions
• Reaction monitoring – real-time monitoring of reaction conditions and product distribution
• Product analysis – quantification of propylene and other olefins using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods
• Process optimisation – investigation of temperature, pressure, catalyst loading and catalyst recycling efficiency