Pyrolysis's the chemical decomposition of a condensed substance by heating. The word's coined from the Greek-derived elements pyro "fire" and lysys "decomposition". Pyrolysis's a special case of thermolysis, and's most commonly used for organic materials. It occurs spontaneously at high temperatures (ie above 300 °C for wood, it varies for other material), for example in wildfires or when vegetation comes into contact with lava in volcanic eruptions. It doesn't involve reactions with oxyge… (More on Pyrolysis)