A Catalytic Oxidizer, often abbreviated as CatOx, is an air pollution control system that uses a catalyst to treat process exhaust at lower temperatures than other oxidizer technologies. These systems are appropriate for applications containing lower Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and HAP concentrations. Catalytic Oxidizers maintain continuous steady-state operating conditions for nearly indefinite periods. With few moving parts and constant stable operating pressures and temperatures, properly designed catalytic oxidizers achieve greater than 99% destruction rate efficiency.
Catalytic Oxidizers are an excellent air pollution control option in applications that need to treat low VOC process streams. Compared to other pollution control technologies, they are very cost-effective and have a low impact on the manufacturing process. Standard CatOx generate less NOx and CO due to their lower gas consumption, and virtually zero NOx is generated if an Electric CatOx is used, making them effective for processes that want to limit their reliability on natural gas. All Catalytic Oxidizers built by Pollution Systems incorporate heat exchangers into the design of each unit, making them Recuperative Catalytic Oxidizers (RCOs).
Most suitable for process streams that are relatively low in energy, Recuperative Catalytic Oxidizers (RCO) achieve VOC and HAP destruction at much lower temperatures than straight thermal oxidization, reducing fuel consumption.
Electric Recuperative Catalytic Oxidizers (ERCOs) utilize the same proven technology of standard catalytic oxidizers but operate entirely on electricity. This flameless solution is suitable for industrial sites with limited or no acces to natural gas, or those interested in greener emission control technologies.
Gas usage is a primary consideration in the ongoing operating cost of any thermal oxidizer. Oxidizers using a catalyst require less gas since VOC oxidation occurs at much lower temperatures than other oxidizer technologies. In some cases, the heat recovery is sufficient for the treatment process to operate auto-thermally, meaning that the energy evolved from the VOC destruction is enough to raise the process gas to the desired catalyst activation temperature so that no auxiliary fuel is necessary.
An Electric Catalytic Oxidizer uses electricity rather than gas and can be a more sustainable solution for your operations.
The sizes for these systems range from small skid-mounted units designed for a few hundred standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) to large units capable of treating emissions greater than 10,000 SCFM.
Particulate matter (PM) covers the catalyst active site, leading to costly factory reactivation or replacement. It is critical to avoid using catalytic oxidizers on processes with particulate, heavy metals, or other poisioning agents that can permanently deactivate the catalyst in your system. View our catalyst poisons bulletin (link to document) for more details.
Catalyst used for air pollution abatement can be either structured or unstructured and they are typically either a base metal or a precious metal. The catalyst is usually made of a carrier (e.g. alumina), impregnated with the catalytic metal.
We fully assess your application, evaluate your air control requirements, and recommend technologies that are most suitable for your waste stream. By carefully selecting the system and combining it with high-quality designs and construction, PSI’s air pollution control solution will prioritize your total cost of ownership and overall business objectives.
