Patent ID: 7060230

Claim:
An apparatus for treating a waste gas containing a combustible compound comprising: a catalytic oxidation reactor for treating the waste gas by combustion, a device for supplying the waste gas to the reactor, at least a first pre-heater device and a second pre-heater device for heating the waste gas prior to its entry into the reactor; a heat-recovery device for recovering heat from treated gas emanating from the reactor; and a molecular oxygen-containing gas supplying device for supplying molecular oxygen-containing gas to a waste gas inlet of the first pre-heater device and to at least one region of the apparatus between a waste gas outlet of the first pre-heater device and an inlet of the reactor, means for supplying the treated gas emanating from the reactor to the second pre-heater device and to the heat-recovery device as a heat source, and means for supplying treated gas emanating from the second pre-heater device to the first pre-heater device as a heat source wherein the molecular oxygen-containing gas supplying device is connected to the waste gas inlet of the first pre-heater device, and further is connected to: a region of the apparatus between the waste gas outlet of the first pre-heater device and the waste gas inlet of the second pre-heater device; and/or a region of the apparatus between the waste gas outlet of the second pre-heater device and the inlet of the reactor; and a temperature measuring means for the treated gas emanating from said first waste gas pre-heater; and a molecular oxygen-containing gas flow controller to adjust the amount of the molecular oxygen-containing gas supplied to an arbitrary point between the waste gas outlet of said first waste gas pre-heater and the waste gas inlet of said reactor; the temperature of the treated gas emanating from said first waste gas pre-heater being set at an arbitrary level by adiusting the amount of said molecular oxyaen-contain gas.