[packagingguy]

Isn’t this similar to the Fischer–Tropsch process but using plastic instead of coal?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

No, the Fischer-Tropsch process does not use pyrolysis. FT involves the synthesis of hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide and hydrogen through catalytic reactions, typically under high pressure and moderate temperature.

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere, where complex organic molecules break down into simpler molecules like gases, liquids, or char. Catalysts are not required for basic pyrolysis, but catalysts can be used to enhance the yield or selectivity of certain products.

I think the researchers and the author of the article are not revealing very much about their process couching it in the simplistic and broad "pyrolysis."