Author credit - Stephen B. Harrison, Managing Director, sbh4 consulting Thermochemical processes such as gasification, reforming and pyrolysis can convert hydrocarbon-rich solid wastes to hydrogen. These thermochemical processes yield syngas which can be further processed to hydrogen, a clean, emission-free energy vector. The thermochemical processes that yield syngas differ from waste incineration, which takes place in an excess of oxygen to generate steam, carbon dioxide and ash. Thermochemical processing of waste does produce some carbon dioxide, but the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) regards processing of the biogenic fraction of waste as carbon dioxide neutral. Animal carcasses, scrap wood, waste vegetable oils and post-consumer wastepaper meet this definition.