During paint shop operation, there’s a lot of waste air being blown out of workshop. In order to maintain a health environment and reduce air pollution, we must install waste air handling device to catch or break the waste components to eco-friendly materials. Till present, the most popular ways and highest level in this field are named RTO(Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) & RCO(Regenerative Catalytic Oxidizer). They’re working in different ways and suitable for different plants. Here we briefly compare the two for quick understanding so we know how to choose between.
RTO & RCO Working Principles
RTO – Heat the organic waste air to above 760℃ to oxidize and decompose the VOCs in the waste gas into carbon dioxide and water. The gas stays in the high temperature zone for a certain period of time to ensure that the organic matter is fully oxidized. The principle is to achieve waste gas purification through high-temperature oxidation, with a heat recovery efficiency generally above 95%
RCO – At lower temperatures (typically 200°C-400°C), the carbon-hydrogen compounds in organic waste oxidized on the surface of catalyst, converting them into carbon dioxide and water. The presence of the catalyst reduced the reaction energy, allowing the reaction to be proceeded at relatively low temperatures.
Applications
RTO – Suitable for handling medium to high-concentration (typically above 1000mg/m³) of waste gas, with strong adaptability to the waste gas composition. It’s able to handle a variety of organic exhaust gases, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, alcohols, ketones, esters, and more.
RCO – Suitable for handling low to medium concentrations (generally below 1000mg/m ³) of waste gas, especially for waste gases containing benzene derivatives, alcohols, ketones, etc., the efficiency is good.
Equipment Features
RTO：
- High processing efficiency, generally reaching over 99%.
- Relatively large size & installation space.
- High operating cost due to the need for higher combustion temperatures and the consumption of more fuel.
RCO：
- Low ignition temperature, relatively low energy consumption and lower operating costs compared to RTO.
- Less equipment size, flexible and convenient to install.
- Catalysts need to be replaced regularly, which increases maintenance costs.
Investment Costs
RTO – The initial investment is relatively high for its complex equipment structure, the need for high-temperature resistant materials, and the high cost of the heat recovery system.
RCO – The initial investment is relatively low, but due to the presence of catalysts, the cost of catalyst replacement needs to be considered in the later stage.
Reference resource: United States Official Document (https://www3.epa.gov/ttncatc1/dir1/fregen.pdf)
