What is the main idea behind pyrolysis?

The process of thermal decomposition of organic materials (carbon based materials) at very high temperature and absence of oxygen is known as pyrolysis.

The temperature for such process is generally 430 °C or 800 °F. This causes simultaneous change in physical phase and chemical composition of the organic material. The process is irreversible in nature.

The resultant products mostly have more useful properties than the original one. Thus, to bring the greater value to the common organic material and waste, the idea of pyrolysis is important.

the old alchemists made significant contributions to science even though there starting premises were off a bit. their conclusions after failure would steer them into better directions for investigation. science is no more than close observation and the initial mistakes result in rethinking and retrying experiments.