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Glite Dictionary
to pyrolyze

to pyrolyze

9.9
To heat a material without air so it breaks into gas, liquid, or solid parts
  • verb
  • /ˈpaɪrəˌlaɪz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pirolizar
  • The researchers decided to pyrolyze the biomass to extract useful chemicals without any oxygen present.
  • pyrolyze camphor

Examples

  • Camphor vapor was pyrolyzed at ambient pressure for 5 hours in the hot sector of the reactor.

    Academic text (2018)

  • It was concluded that switchgrass pyrolyzed at 600°C best meets the balance between carbon.

    Blog text (11)

  • During the experiment, they chose to pyrolyze wood at high temperatures to generate gas without combustion.

  • To create biochar, farmers often pyrolyze agricultural waste materials in a controlled, oxygen-free environment.

Synonyms

to decompose
vsto pyrolyze
  • Specialized
9 5.5

To break a substance into smaller chemical parts using heat or chemicals

uses heat without oxygen to split material and make gases or chemicals
to carbonize
vsto pyrolyze
  • Specialized
1 7.2

To turn wood or other organic material into carbon by very high heat

breaks material by heat without oxygen to yield gases or chemicals

How Burned

to carbonize
  • Specialized
1 7.2
to pyrolyze
  • Specialized
9.9
to scorch
20 3.5
to heat
298 1.0

Surface Forms

pyrolyze infinitive
pyrolyzed past
pyrolyzed past participle
pyrolyzing present participle
pyrolyzes third person singular

Morphology

pyrolyze = pyrolysis (opaque) = pyro + lyze

The verb is a specialized scientific formation related to 'pyrolysis', but the meaning is not transparent for an average B1 learner from the component parts alone.

Etymology

Pyrolyze comes from the Greek root pyr meaning 'fire' and the part -lyze meaning 'break', as in analyze. So to pyrolyze something is to 'break' it with strong heat—like using fire to turn a material into gases, oils, or char, often without oxygen.