In an afterburner, the harmful gases of an industrial process are driven into a burner by means of a powerful blower. The high temperature of the burner causes the molecules of the pollutants to breakdown into simpler compounds like carbondioxide and water.
The gases are then led to the chimney where they are released into the atmosphere.
Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer
The Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer is another variant of the afterburner in which the heat used to decompose the molecules of the Volatile Organic Compounds is retrieved from the exhaust gas itself.