ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that within American industry there is an increasing need to meet requirements for the control of volatile organic compound emissions and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean-air standards. Unlike the problem of dealing with particulate-laden emissions–a relatively simple process, with minimal operating costs–meeting EPA standards for fume cleanup involves more sophisticated options. It illustrates the differences between fume incineration systems and provides some insight into the most beneficial system for a particular industrial process. Thermal destruction of organic compounds can occur either in a direct flame incinerator or a catalytic incinerator. Direct flame incineration is a method by which organic compounds in waste gases are directly combusted with or without the use of an additional fuel. The thermal stability or destruction of organic compounds is strongly dependent on the availability of oxygen in the thermal environment.
