Apparatus and method for catalytic combustion

1. A catalytic combustion apparatus, comprising:

a catalytic oxidizing reactor having a gas treatment inlet for a gas to be treated, an oxygen gas inlet for an oxygen-containing gas, and a non-combustible gas inlet for a non-combustible gas, and an oxidized gas outlet for an oxidized gas; a heater for heating one or more of the gas to be treated, the oxygen-containing gas and the non-combustible gas; wherein the catalytic oxidizing reactor comprises a catalyst bed for oxidizing the gas to be treated;

a condenser having an inlet connected to the oxidized gas outlet of the oxidizing reactor, and an outlet for a condensate; and

a pH meter for measuring a pH of the condensate;

wherein the pH meter is related to a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the heater; wherein the temperature controller changes the temperature of the heater in response to the pH of the condensate measured by the pH meter.

2. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a temperature controller connected to the catalytic oxidizing reactor and the pH meter.

3. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas to be treated is a gaseous composition comprising an organic acid, and the catalyst bed oxidizes the gaseous composition comprising the organic acid.

4. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the gaseous composition comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of acetic acid and methacrylic acid.

5. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the gaseous composition is obtained from a vapor phase oxidation process for making methacrolein or methacrylic acid from isobutylene or tertiary butyl alcohol.

6. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst bed comprises a platinum group metal-supported catalyst.

7. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller to adjust the oxygen concentration in the oxidized gas to 0.5-10%.

8. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a temperature controller to control the temperature of the catalytic oxidizing reactor, wherein the temperature controller is connected to the pH meter and the temperature controller controls the temperature of the catalytic oxidizing reactor based on the pH of the condensate.

9. A catalytic combustion method for oxidizing a gaseous composition comprising a combustible organic compound, comprising:

treating the gaseous composition with a catalytic oxidizing reactor comprising a heater for heating the gaseous composition and a catalyst bed, to form a gaseous combustion product;

condensing at least a portion of the gaseous combustion product in a condenser connected to the oxidizing reactor;

to form a liquid condensate;

measuring a pH of the liquid condensate with a pH meter related to a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the heater; and

adjusting the temperature at which the gaseous composition is treated with the catalytic oxidizing reactor according to the pH of the liquid condensate; wherein the temperature controller changes the temperature of the heater in response to the pH of the condensate measured by the pH meter.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the gaseous composition comprises an organic acid and the catalyst bed comprises a platinum group metal-supported catalyst.

11. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the oxidized gas outlet is in fluid connection with the non-combustible gas inlet.

12. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:

adjusting the oxygen concentration in the gaseous combustion product to from 0.5 to 10%.