Environmental technology specialist Dürr Clean Technology Systems (CTS) has announced the complete electrification of its flagship Oxi.X regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) product line, successfully scaling electric exhaust air purification to a true industrial level.

As metal packagers globally race to hit stringent Scope 1 emission targets, the reliance on fossil fuels for plant infrastructure remains a persistent hurdle. Historically, purifying solvent-laden exhaust air from standard metal coating, lacquering, and printing lines has demanded a hefty toll in natural gas consumption.

While electric alternatives for air pollution control have lingered on the periphery as niche, low-volume setups, a major technological leap is poised to change that.

Breaking the Volume Barrier

Regenerative thermal oxidation is the industry standard for destroying Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) generated during the baking and curing of sheet and coil coatings. Traditionally, these RTOs rely on natural gas burners to maintain the high internal temperatures required to oxidize solvents into harmless components.

Until now, previous electric RTO models on the market were restricted by low volumetric capacities. Dürr has shattered this threshold by expanding its all-electric RTO capabilities to handle massive industrial workloads. The newly electrified systems can now process high volumetric flows of up to 120,000 Nm³/h.

Furthermore, the systems are engineered to withstand high pollutant concentrations and highly corrosive exhaust gases—challenges frequently mirrored in the heavy-duty coating sectors of the automotive, chemical, and metal packaging industries.

Old Electric RTO Limits  [Low Volume Only] ──► Restricted to small specialty lines
Dürr's New Electric RTO  [Up to 120,000 Nm³/h] ──► Scaled for high-capacity coating & printing

A Direct Path to Zero-Emission Metal Packaging

For high-volume can makers and coil coaters, the implications of an all-electric RTO are profound:

• Fossil Fuel Elimination: By swapping out natural gas burners for high-efficiency electric heating elements, plants can run their entire abatement process on renewable electricity, virtually eliminating localized carbon emissions from air purification.
• High Efficiency, Lower Costs: Dürr’s RTO design retains its legendary thermal efficiency (frequently reaching 95% to 97%). Once the system reaches its optimum operating temperature, the latent thermal energy released by the burning VOC solvents allows the system to operate in an “autothermal” or self-sustaining mode, requiring minimal supplemental electricity.
• Corrosion Resistance & Longevity: Metal packaging lacquers often release challenging chemical by-products during curing. The electrified Oxi.X range is specifically configured to manage corrosive exhaust stream dynamics without sacrificing structural integrity or destruction efficiency.

Future-Proofing the Plant

With carbon taxation tightening across Europe and the Americas, and global brands demanding greener supply chains, the coating room can no longer rely on the gas grid. Dürr’s expansion of the Oxi.X line offers metal packagers a viable, scaled blueprint to future-proof their operations against shifting energy markets while maintaining the rigorous VOC destruction efficiency required by environmental regulators.