Chat with us, powered by LiveChat
EN
Menu
  • Start
  • [...]
  • Pyrolysis and Walter Kaminsky's Legacy
From the Stone Age to the Circular Economy

Pyrolysis and Walter Kaminsky's Legacy

Daria Baur
Corporate Communications Manager
Pyrolysis can play a key role in overcoming modern-day environmental problems. It allows waste to be converted into valuable raw materials, ensuring it does not end up in an incinerator or landfill. And this is exactly the process that we utilise in our systems. While pyrolysis has ancient origins, a significant part of its development is credited to the German chemist Walter Kaminsky, who passed away recently.
Prototype of a plant for chemical recycling.
Our state-of-the-art pyrolysis system.
Prototype of a plant for chemical recycling.
Our state-of-the-art pyrolysis system.

From adhesive to fuel

The story of pyrolysis began thousands of years ago. People were already producing birch bark pitch in the Stone Age by using heat to decompose pieces of wood. The material was an important adhesive. This technology was then continuously refined over the centuries.
 
A pivotal moment though came during World War II, when petrol became scarce. People started producing fuel using wood gasifiers. Chunks of wood were converted into gas and liquid fuel through a high-temperature process.

Important research for plastics production

Prof. Dr. Prof. E.h. Dr. h. c.Walter Kaminsky, a German chemist and university professor, played a key role in advancing pyrolysis technology. At the start of his career, however, his work focused not on recycling but on plastics production. He became well known for developing and producing the «Kaminsky catalysts». These catalysts allowed for the precise and targeted production of plastics like polypropylene, thereby revolutionising both the quality and application areas of plastics. Today, Kaminsky's discoveries are still a cornerstone of industrial production.

The «Hamburg method»

Walter Kaminsky later focused his research work on the decomposition of plastics. Utilising his «Hamburg pyrolysis method», he enabled the efficient breakdown of plastic waste and biomass into their chemical components.
 
The method, which is based on a fluidised bed reactor , continuously decomposes plastics at temperatures ranging between 300° C and 900° C in the absence of oxygen. The resulting chemical raw materials, such as pyrolysis oil and gases, can then be re-purposed as raw products for industrial applications.

Enduring legacy and global acclaim

The pre-treated material is fed into the reactor on a conveyor belt.
Inside the pyrolysis reactor, the plastic is heated in the absence of oxygen.
Kaminsky's work earned him many prestigious awards and international acclaim. He was even inducted into die Plastics Hall of Fame, an award that only a few pioneers from the field of plastics research attain. Kaminsky's vision went far beyond the technology: He viewed pyrolysis as a key technology for the circular economy. His work has inspired visionaries and companies, such as enespa, and continues to influence the industry to this day.
Portraitbild Daria Baur
Author

Daria Baur

Portraitbild Daria Baur
Corporate Communications Manager
After gaining a master's degree in Communication and Media Research from the University of Fribourg, Daria acquired valuable experience in agency work, in university marketing and, most recently, in communications for an international NGO. These diverse roles have provided her with extensive insight into both strategic and operational communication processes. At enespa, she contributes her expertise as Project Manager Corporate Communication, ensuring that messages are conveyed clearly and effectively.
daria.baur@enespa.com
+41 71 788 33 71
You might also be interested in

Great effect

It's often the little things that can make a big difference. In our high-tech laboratory, Dr Albert Paparo, who holds a doctorate in natural sciences, works with just such small things: molecules.
Read more
Management Group

enespa Group
Schäfligasse 1
CH-9050 Appenzell

News

© enespa 2025

Subscribe to newsletter

The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.

 
 
* Unsubscribing from the newsletter is possible at any time.
 
 

Subscribe to our media newsletter

The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.

 
 
* Unsubscribing from the newsletter is possible at any time.