1. to subject (a substance) to pyrolysis; to decompose by heating in the absence of oxygen
Usage: technical; chemistry

Examples

• The laboratory pyrolyzes organic compounds to study their thermal breakdown products.
• When you pyrolyze wood at high temperatures without oxygen, you produce charcoal and gases.
• Industrial processes pyrolyze plastic waste to recover useful chemicals.
• The researchers pyrolyzed the polymer sample to analyze its composition.
• Pyrolyzing coal in a controlled environment yields tar and coke.