Complete Pyrolysis
- Duration: 3.25 hours for on-demand
- Experience level: Intermediate
- Delivery methods: Offsite training & consultancy | On-Demand | Online | Onsite training & consultancy | Tailored training |
- Type of course: Manufacturer specific
- Applicable to manufacturer(s): Pyrolab |
- CPD Approved: Approved
- Scheduled course price: £195.00 + TAX per delegate
- Course discounts: RSC CAMS HEaTED Cambridge Network members receive a discount on this course
Your complete guide to Pyrolysis
Module 8 of the Complete Sample Preparation course.
This Complete Pyrolysis training is approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for purposes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Take an in-depth approach to pyrolysis, covering the principles of thermal decomposition, pyrolysis instrumentation, method development, thermochemolysis, sample preparation, calibration, optimisation, troubleshooting, and applications. Gain a complete understanding of how pyrolysis is used to characterise complex, non-volatile materials by converting them into smaller, more analytically useful fragments for analysis by GC and GC-MS. This course combines theoretical principles with practical considerations and real-world applications, helping analysts develop the skills required to identify, characterise, and investigate a wide range of natural and synthetic materials.
This course can be combined with additional modules from the Complete Sample Preparation course to create a learning pathway tailored to your analytical applications and experience level.
Why should I join?
On completion of this course, you will have an understanding of pyrolysis and its application across analytical laboratories, materials science, forensic investigations, environmental research, and industrial testing.
This pyrolysis training gives you:
- A clear understanding of the principles behind pyrolysis and thermal decomposition
- Knowledge of how complex macromolecules can be broken into smaller fragments suitable for chromatographic analysis
- An understanding of the relationship between pyrolysis temperature, fragment formation, and analytical performance
- Insight into furnace, resistively heated filament, Curie-point, and laser pyrolysis systems
- Practical guidance on sample preparation, method development, calibration, and optimisation
- Insight into thermochemolysis and chemically assisted pyrolysis techniques
- An understanding of pyrogram interpretation and the use of pyrolysis as a material fingerprinting tool
- A practical introduction to maintenance, troubleshooting, and routine operation.
- Real-world examples demonstrating applications across polymers, plastics, paints, rubbers, forensic materials, environmental samples, and biopolymers
What would I learn?
This course focuses on providing a complete understanding of pyrolysis.You will learn:
- The principles of pyrolysis and how thermal decomposition generates volatile analytical fragments
- The differences between pyrolysis, thermal desorption, and headspace analysis
- How non-volatile samples can be analysed using Py-GC and Py-GC-MS techniques
- The operation and characteristics of furnace, filament, Curie-point, and laser pyrolysis systems
- The influence of pyrolysis temperature, heating rate, carrier gas, and sample composition on analytical results
- The theory and application of isothermal, sequential, fractionated, and pyrotomy pyrolysis methods
- Sample preparation approaches for solids, powders, viscous liquids, polymers, paints, and other materials
- How thermochemolysis improves the analysis of oxygen-containing compounds and biopolymers
- Practical approaches to method optimisation, temperature selection, and pyrolysis calibration
- The impact of sample size, sample homogeneity, and transfer conditions on analytical performance
- Common maintenance requirements and troubleshooting strategies
- Real-world applications involving plastics, polymers, paints, coatings, papers, meteorites, biopolymers, environmental samples, and forensic investigations
What knowledge will I gain?
By the end of the course, you will:
- Be able to confidently define pyrolysis and explain its role in materials characterisation
- Understand how thermal decomposition converts complex macromolecules into analytically useful fragments
- Know how pyrolysis temperature and heating rate influence the formation of characteristic pyrolysis products
- Understand the differences between the major pyrolyser designs and their advantages and limitations
- Recognise how sample preparation, sample size, homogeneity, and solvent removal impact analytical performance
- Learn how thermochemolysis can be used to improve the analysis of oxygen-bound compounds and biopolymers
- Become familiar with isothermal, sequential, fractionated, and pyrotomy approaches to pyrolysis analysis
- Understand how pyrograms are generated and interpreted to identify unknown materials
- Gain confidence in developing, optimising, validating, and troubleshooting pyrolysis methods
- Understand common sources of analytical problems including contamination, carryover, poor calibration, secondary pyrolysis, filament damage, leaks, and transfer inefficiencies
- Learn how filament calibration influences temperature accuracy and method reproducibility
- Gain an appreciation of how pyrolysis is applied in polymer identification, forensic science, environmental studies, materials research, industrial quality control, and biopolymer characterisation
Is this course for me?
This RSC-approved, for purposes of CPD, training is designed for anyone who would like a complete understanding of pyrolysis and thermal analytical techniques.
- Laboratory analysts and technicians performing materials characterisation and analytical testing
- Scientists developing analytical methods involving GC, GC-MS, Py-GC, and Py-GC-MS
- Laboratory managers overseeing analytical workflows and materials testing programmes
- Data analysts and report writers seeking a better understanding of thermal decomposition data and pyrogram interpretation
- Service engineers supporting pyrolysis, chromatography, and mass spectrometry instrumentation
- Sales, commercial, and marketing teams working with analytical instrumentation, thermal analysis technologies, and laboratory consumables
- Researchers and scientists wanting a stronger understanding of polymer analysis, thermal degradation processes, and analytical best practice
- Forensic scientists investigating paints, coatings, polymers, fibres, and unknown materials
- Anyone involved in environmental, polymer, petrochemical, industrial, forensic, research, or materials science laboratories where complex non-volatile samples are analysed
If pyrolysis is part of your laboratory, research, environmental, industrial, or product development work, this introductory course delivered by subject matter experts will provide a solid understanding in this analytical sample preparation technique.
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Feedback from previous attendees
“(I enjoyed) The clearness in how the material was illustrated. [Most interesting topic:] Tips about the instrument and how to fix typical issues.” Luca Bufano, Analytical Chemist, Synthomer Ltd (April 2022).
“Great presenter with lots of knowledge on pyrolysis and great scientific content delivery skills!” August 2021.
