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9

Catalytic Oxidation

Lawrence. K. Wang, Wei Lin, and Yung-Tse Hung

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PRETREATMENT AND ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS
SUPPLEMENTARY FUEL REQUIREMENTS
ENGINEERING DESIGN AND OPERATION
MANAGEMENT
DESIGN EXAMPLES
NOMENCLATURE
REFERENCES

1. INTRODUCTION

Catalytic oxidation (catalytic incineration) is an oxidation process, shown in Figs. 1
and 2, that converts organic compounds to carbon dioxide and water with the help of a
catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that accelerates the rate of a reaction at a given tem-
perature without being appreciably changed during the reaction. In catalytic incinerators,
the flame-based incineration concept is modified by adding a catalyst to promote the
oxidation reaction, allowing faster reaction and/or reduced reaction temperature. A faster
reaction requires a smaller vessel, thus reducing capital costs and low operating tempera-
tures generally and reduced auxiliary fuel requirements, thus reducing operating costs (1).
Catalytic incineration is most suitable for treatment of emission streams containing a
low concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It may allow a more cost-
effective operation compared to thermal incineration processes. Catalytic incineration,
however, is not as broadly used as thermal incineration because of its greater sensitivity
to pollutant characteristics and process conditions (1). Design and operating considera-
tions are therefore critical to applications of catalytic incineration in air pollution control.
In this chapter, a methodology is proved to quickly estimate catalytic incinerator design
and cost variables (2–14).

1.1. Process Description
Schematics of a catalytic incinerator, also known as catalytic oxidizer and catalytic
reactor, are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In catalytic incineration, a contaminant-laden emission

From: Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Volume 1: Air Pollution Control Engineering
Edited by: L. K. Wang, N.C. Pereira, and, Y.-T. Hung © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
369