Thermal-catalytic oxidation of waste gases Original Research Article

Thermal-catalytic oxidation, consisting of combined thermal and catalytic processes, is proposed as a new method to neutralize waste gases. A comparison between the proposed two-step thermal-catalytic and catalytic neutralization processes is done at temperatures ranging from 350 to 750 K. The efficiency of the neutralization of waste gases that is obtained by using the thermal-catalytic method is higher, compared with the efficiency of waste gas neutralization by using the catalytic method. The observed difference ranges from 20 to 10%, as was found for model waste gas containing ethyl acetate, and from 10 to 5%, as was determined in the case of a toluene imitating toxic component of waste gases. In addition, the mechanism of the thermal-catalytic process is studied. The first step of this process, thermal oxidation, is shown to influence the subsequent one, catalytic oxidation.