A recuperative burner for a thermal process air treatment device, which has a combustion chamber with a combustion space therein for thermally treating a process air, wherein the recuperative burner is designed to introduce a process air to be treated into the combustion space of the combustion chamber and to discharge a flue gas produced by thermally treating the process air from the combustion space of the combustion chamber with a heat transfer from the discharge flue gas to the introduced process air, wherein the recuperative burner has: a connection sector, which has at least one process air inlet channel for receiving the process air and at least one flue gas outlet channel for discharging the flue gas; and a heat transfer sector, which has an inlet distributor attached to the connection sector and a holding element facing the combustion space of the combustion chamber, between which an inner space is located, in which a plurality of process air pipes run from the inlet distributor to the holding element in order to conduct the process air from the connection sector to the combustion space, wherein the process air pipes are coupled through the inlet distributor to the at least one process air inlet channel of the connection sector and are open through the holding element in the direction of the combustion space, wherein the recuperative burner has at least one flue gas pipe for discharging the flue gas from the combustion space, characterized in that the at least one flue gas pipe has an open inlet opening in the combustion space and runs through the holding element of the heat transfer sector into the heat transfer sector and has, in the section within the heat transfer sector, at least one pipe wall opening for introducing the flue gas into the inner space of the heat transfer sector through which the process air pipes pass for the purpose of heat transfer from the discharge flue gas to the introduced process air, wherein the inner space of the heat transfer sector is coupled in its end region facing the connection sector to the at least one flue gas outlet channel in order to discharge the flue gas from the heat transfer sector and from the burner. a connection sector, which has at least one process air inlet channel for receiving the process air and at least one flue gas outlet channel for discharging the flue gas; and a heat transfer sector, which has an inlet distributor attached to the connection sector and a holding element facing the combustion space of the combustion chamber, between which an inner space is located, in which a plurality of process air pipes run from the inlet distributor to the holding element in order to conduct the process air from the connection sector to the combustion space, wherein the process air pipes are coupled through the inlet distributor to the at least one process air inlet channel of the connection sector and are open through the holding element in the direction of the combustion space, wherein the recuperative burner has at least one flue gas pipe for discharging the flue gas from the combustion space, characterized in that the at least one flue gas pipe has an open inlet opening in the combustion space and runs through the holding element of the heat transfer sector into the heat transfer sector and has, in the section within the heat transfer sector, at least one pipe wall opening for introducing the flue gas into the inner space of the heat transfer sector through which the process air pipes pass for the purpose of heat transfer from the discharge flue gas to the introduced process air, wherein the inner space of the heat transfer sector is coupled in its end region facing the connection sector to the at least one flue gas outlet channel in order to discharge the flue gas from the heat transfer sector and from the burner.