Incineration of waste organic aerosols

In a process for treating a waste gas containing condensable organic compounds in the form of an aerosol of liquid particles, in a regenerative thermal oxidation system comprising a combustion chamber and at least two regenerators, each of said regenerators containing a packing material allowing accumulation of heat, each said regenerators also having one end in permanent open communication with the combustion chamber that is common to all of said regenerators, each of said regenerators further having an other end with directing means to allow gases to flow in and out of said regenerator, said process having a cycle of operation comprising:

• a) during a first period of time:
• directing the waste gas through a first one of said regenerators wherein said waste gas is heated by contact with the packing material contained therein;
• then through the combustion chamber wherein oxidation of the organic compounds contained in said waste gas is achieved;
• and finally through a second one of said regenerators wherein the oxidized gas coming from the combustion chamber is cooled by contact with the packing material contained in said second regenerator, such a contact causing simultaneous heating of the packing material contained in the second regenerator, the oxidized gas leaving said second regenerator being purified and then discharged to the atmosphere;
• b) during a second period of time:
• directing the waste gas through the second regenerator, then through the combustion chamber and finally through the first regenerator prior to discharging it in a purified form to the atmosphere, and
• c) repeating steps a) and b) in the very same order to provide continuous flow and treatment of said waste gas through the system, together with a recovery of a substantial amount of the heat contained in said waste gas after oxidation thereof in the combustion of chamber,
• the improvement wherein said process also comprises:
• d) increasing the temperature of the waste gas prior to introducing it into the first regenerator in step a) or into the second regenerator in step b), by mixing said waste gas with a stream of purified gas obtained by the process, whereby a complete evaporation of all the liquid particles contained in the waste gas is achieved.