A process for the thermal abatement of malodorous emissions from a purification plant with energy recovery from said abatement, said process comprising the steps of: - feeding a flow of foul air containing malodorous substances emitted from a purification plant into a combustion chamber of a unit for production and recovery of energy, thereby destroying in said combustion chamber said foul air by using it as combustive air for burning a fuel, said fuel being methane or biogas, thus producing a flow of high-temperature exhaust gas; - feeding said flow of exhaust gas into a scrubber for the abatement of polluting substances, said scrubber using water for the washing of said flow of exhaust gas, thus producing a flow of purified gas and a heated washing liquid; - transferring said flow of purified gas to a system for release into the atmosphere, for emission of said flow of purified gas into the atmosphere; - conveying said heated washing liquid to a heating jacket of at least one storage tank for the biological treatment of sewage, said at least one storage tank being comprised in said purification plant; - transferring a heat-exchange fluid, preferably diathermic oil, to said unit for production and recovery of energy, thus obtaining a flow of heated heat-exchange fluid; - conveying said heated heat-exchange fluid to a sludge dryer of said purification plant; - carrying out an indirect heat-exchange between said heated heat-exchange fluid and said sludges, obtaining a cooled heat-exchange fluid and dried sludges, and optionally - carrying out an indirect heat-exchange between said heated washing liquid and said sewage, obtaining a cooled washing liquid; and - conveying said cooled washing liquid upstream of said purification plant. - feeding a flow of foul air containing malodorous substances emitted from a purification plant into a combustion chamber of a unit for production and recovery of energy, thereby destroying in said combustion chamber said foul air by using it as combustive air for burning a fuel, said fuel being methane or biogas, thus producing a flow of high-temperature exhaust gas; - feeding said flow of exhaust gas into a scrubber for the abatement of polluting substances, said scrubber using water for the washing of said flow of exhaust gas, thus producing a flow of purified gas and a heated washing liquid; - transferring said flow of purified gas to a system for release into the atmosphere, for emission of said flow of purified gas into the atmosphere; - conveying said heated washing liquid to a heating jacket of at least one storage tank for the biological treatment of sewage, said at least one storage tank being comprised in said purification plant; - transferring a heat-exchange fluid, preferably diathermic oil, to said unit for production and recovery of energy, thus obtaining a flow of heated heat-exchange fluid; - conveying said heated heat-exchange fluid to a sludge dryer of said purification plant; - carrying out an indirect heat-exchange between said heated heat-exchange fluid and said sludges, obtaining a cooled heat-exchange fluid and dried sludges, and optionally - carrying out an indirect heat-exchange between said heated washing liquid and said sewage, obtaining a cooled washing liquid; and - conveying said cooled washing liquid upstream of said purification plant. <EOS>