The growth in the amount of waste in Russia over the past decade has exceeded the growth rate of industrial production. Every year, the country generates more than 3.5 billion tonnes of waste, which in most cases are either not disposed of, or they simply cannot be, thus they are sent to incineration or landfill.

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of organic and many inorganic compounds. Narrowly defined, it is a decomposition of organic natural compounds in the oxygen-deprived conditions (wood, petroleum products, etc.). More extensively, it is a decomposition of any compounds into components of less heavy molecules, or elements under the influence of temperature increase. Pyrolysis results in the formation of synthesis gas and solid carbon residues.