A novel hybrid adsorption/incineration process for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from industrial waste gases is presented. This process is particularly suited for the removal of polymerizing compounds which cannot be desorbed by conventional desorption techniques. The VOCs are separated by adsorption on a thermally stable adsorbent. The adsorbent is periodically regenerated by an in situ incineration of its VOC loading. Compared with conventional incineration processes, the considered process is very energy efficient especially at very low VOC concentrations since energy input is only required for the ignition of the incineration. A mathematical model is developed which is able to describe the main process phenomena observed. A good agreement of simulation results and experiments is obtained. As an example for a technical application the purification of waste gas containing traces of styrene is considered. A commercial dealuminated Y-zeolite (Degussa-Huels DAY-F20) is used as an adsorbent.