The CATOX process

The CATOX catalyst and technology were developed for catalytic combustion of primarily VOCs
from a variety of industrial off-gases as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Types of industries where the CATOX catalytic combustion technology has been applied, the
types of pollutants involved and their impact on the environment
The gross reactions involved in the catalytic oxidation step are the same as those taking place
when oxidising the compounds thermally at typically 800 – 1000°C. However, with the use of a
catalyst, as an effective means of reducing the energy barrier, the reactions take place at a
much lower temperature of 300°C or lower. At the same time, the catalyst is formulated to mini-
mise the formation of undesirable by-products. The result is clean combustion, as illustrated
with the catalytic oxidation reactions for CO, benzene (C6H6) and TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetra-chloro-
dibenzo-dioxin):

CO + ½ O2 → CO2
C6H6 + 7½ O2 → 6 CO2 + 3 H2O
C12H4O2Cl4 + 11 O2 → 12 CO2 + 4 HCl

The CATOX process offers very high conversion efficiencies of up to 99.9%.

Process layout
The CATOX process is a simple process based on recuperative heat exchange as illustrated in
Figure 4.

Figure 4 The CATOX process

The polluted off-gas is taken by a blower from the polluting process and led through a tubular
heat exchanger where it is heated to the necessary catalyst inlet temperature, typically 280 -
300°C. After the heat exchanger, the off-gas passes through a start-up burner, where additional
heat is supplied if required. The start-up burner may be gas or oil fired or alternatively an elec-
trical heater. In the reactor, the off-gas passes through the catalyst bed where the VOCs are
burnt and the temperature increases proportionally to the concentration of VOCs in the polluted
off-gas.

The temperature increase generated by combustion varies according to the concentration and
type of VOCs present. The temperature increase usually varies between 15 - 30°C per g/Nm3.

The hot cleaned gas is led through the shell side of the heat exchanger, where it delivers its
heat to the incoming polluted off-gas. Finally, it is sometimes possible to extract further useful
energy from the cleaned off-gas before it goes to the stack by making hot air or hot water. In
some cases the concentration of combustibles is so high as to allow for a net production of en-
ergy from the catalytic combustion unit.

The CATOX process is suitable for off-gases with medium or high (typically 2 – 10 g/Nm3) or
varying concentrations of VOCs. The process typically offers a heat efficiency of up to approx.
70 – 75%, and minimum some 2 – 3 g/Nm3 of VOCs in the off-gas are required for autothermal
operation (no support firing). If the concentration of VOCs drops below a minimum level, the
support heater automatically adds the required heat.

Information contained herein is confidential; it may not be used for any

purpose other than for which it has been issued, and may not be used by
or disclosed to third parties without written approval of Haldor Topsøe A/S.