Pyrolysis Technology for Sustainable Waste Valorization

Dear Colleagues,

It is challenging to envision a sustainable circular economy without efficient conversion of waste streams into valuable products and energy carriers. The application of pyrolysis technology has evolved far beyond conventional thermal treatment into transformative areas such as carbon-negative material production, distributed waste-to-resource hubs, industrial symbiosis, soil remediation, and fossil fuel displacement. This evolution has catalyzed significant breakthroughs in reactor engineering, feedstock flexibility, product upgrading, process intensification, and real-time process control, resulting in enhanced bio-oil quality, tailored biochar functionalities, higher syngas purity, improved energy efficiency, and reduced operational footprints. Concurrently, the growing integration of pyrolysis with renewable power, hydrogen production, and chemical recovery platforms has stimulated innovative research into catalyst development, vapor upgrading, contaminant mitigation, and system electrification, enabling more selective conversion pathways, scalable modular designs, and resilient operation under variable feedstock conditions.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the latest advances in the science, technology, modeling, application, management, and sustainability assessment of pyrolysis-based waste valorization.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Advanced pyrolysis configurations: fast, slow, microwave, solar-assisted, and catalytic pyrolysis;
• Feedstock characterization and pretreatment for diverse waste streams (plastics, biomass, e-waste, tires, sludges);
• Product upgrading and refining: bio-oil hydrotreatment, syngas conditioning, and activated biochar production;
• Co-pyrolysis of mixed wastes and synergistic effects in multifeedstock systems;
• Integration with downstream processes: gasification, fermentation, chemical synthesis, and energy storage;
• Lifecycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and carbon footprint evaluation of pyrolysis systems;
• Pyrolysis for carbon sequestration and negative emission technologies;
• Emission control, volatile organic compound mitigation, and solid residue management;
• Digital twin, machine learning, and AI-driven optimization of pyrolysis processes.

Dr. Hongyan Nan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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