Air pollution control in the finishing industry

Thermal oxidation is a process whereby most of the VOCs are broken down and recombined with oxygen to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide. The water vapor and carbon dioxide are naturally occurring and environmentally friendly, therefore safe for venting into the atmosphere. Concentrators take advantage of a chemical surface phenomenon and the tendency of VOCs and other pollutants to adhere to certain types of materials such as activated carbon and zeolites. Oxidation, typically, is an energy intensive technology wherein a polluted air stream is heated to a high temperature set-point that is predetermined by the nature of the pollutant. A regenerative system is vulnerable to thermal run-away because they are capable of auto-thermal operation. This is a situation where the heat produced by oxidation of the pollutants is enough to operate the system with no additional input from the burner.