NOVELTY - The process comprises activating a heating element (24) to heat a bottom portion of a feedstock to a pyrolytic state for producing a horizontal thermal layer within the feedstock, which thermally decomposes an organic material into carbon as a non-inert additive reacts with the organic material to break down tars and paraffins into less complex hydrocarbon chains, reversing the direction of vapor flow within the feedstock, and directing vapor downwardly through the feedstock while discharging volatile organic gases from a lower portion of a chamber and out of a processing vessel (12).    USE - The process is useful for thermally processing organic material such as municipal and animal solid waste, agricultural crops or wastes, wood, wood waste, straw, sugarcane and other carbon or hydrocarbon based materials into by-products such as charcoal, liquids, gases and energy.    ADVANTAGE - The process is capable of efficiently processing the organic material by-products, controls the rate and direction of movement of the thermal layer through the feedstock thus maximizing the amount of by-products, and minimizes the loss of heat generated within the vessel.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The process comprises activating a heating element (24) to heat a bottom portion of a feedstock to a pyrolytic state for producing a horizontal thermal layer within the feedstock, which thermally decomposes an organic material into carbon as a non-inert additive reacts with the organic material to break down tars and paraffins into less complex hydrocarbon chains, reversing the direction of vapor flow within the feedstock, directing vapor downwardly through the feedstock while discharging volatile organic gases from a lower portion of a chamber and out of a processing vessel (12) as the feedstock is thermally decomposed by the thermal layer, controlling pressure and vapor flow within the chamber to regulate vertical movement of the thermal layer within the feedstock for controlling the extent of thermal decomposition of the feedstock, and injecting steam upwardly into the feedstock to force cracking of carbon in the chamber. The feedstock is provided in the processing vessel, which has a vertical side wall, an openable top wall, a heating plate (25) disposed at a bottom portion of the vessel, a heating element disposed beneath the heating plate for heating the heating plate, and permeable bottom wall (20) spaced above the heating plate to define a dispersion space. The feedstock is made of organic material and the non-inert additive. The chamber is surrounded on its vertical side by a double sidewall construction defining two side-by-side vertical passages through which the vapor travels and is superheated before passing downwardly through the feedstock. The chamber is formed by a canister (14) removably disposed in the vessel. The method further comprises positioning the canister forming a processing chamber within the vessel, and sealing the chamber when the chamber reaches a predetermined temperature. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for an apparatus for thermally processing organic material.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The diagram shows a schematic view of a processing apparatus.    Vessel (12)    Canister (14)    Bottom wall (20)    Heating element (24)    Heating plate. (25)