Editing Pyrolysis (section)

==Safety challenges==
Because pyrolysis takes place at high temperatures which exceed the [[autoignition temperature]] of the produced gases, an explosion risk exists if oxygen is present. To control the temperature of pyrolysis systems careful temperature control is needed and can be accomplished with an [[Open-source hardware|open source]] pyrolysis controller.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hafting |first1=Finn K. |last2=Kulas |first2=Daniel |last3=Michels |first3=Etienne |last4=Chipkar |first4=Sarvada |last5=Wisniewski |first5=Stefan |last6=Shonnard |first6=David |last7=Pearce |first7=Joshua M. |date=2023 |title=Modular Open-Source Design of Pyrolysis Reactor Monitoring and Control Electronics |journal=Electronics |language=en |volume=12 |issue=24 |pages=4893 |doi=10.3390/electronics12244893 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Pyrolysis also produces various toxic gases, mainly [[carbon monoxide]]. The greatest risk of fire, explosion and release of toxic gases comes when the system is starting up and shutting down, operating intermittently, or during operational upsets.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rollinson |first1=Andrew N. |title=Fire, explosion and chemical toxicity hazards of gasification energy from waste |journal=Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries |date=July 2018 |volume=54 |pages=273–280 |doi=10.1016/j.jlp.2018.04.010 |bibcode=2018JLPPI..54..273R }}</ref>

Inert gas [[Purging (gas)|purging]] is essential to manage inherent explosion risks. The procedure is not trivial and failure to keep oxygen out has led to accidents.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Inherent Hazards and Limited Regulatory Oversight in the Waste Plastic Recycling Sector Repeat Explosion at Pyrolysis Plant |journal=Chemical Engineering Transactions |date=May 2023 |volume=99 |pages=241–246 |doi=10.3303/CET2399041 |author1=Hedlund Frank Huess }}</ref>