First, an emission amount of
nitrogen oxide can be decreased to zero as much as possible and, an emission amount of
carbon monoxide is decreased to a permissible range. Second, energy saving by
combustion at a low air ratio close to 1.0 is realized. Third, air ratio control is performed stably in a
combustion region at a low air ratio. Provided is a boiler, including: a premixed burner; a
water pipe group for, by heat exchanging with a gas produced by the premixed burner, suppressing a temperature of the gas to thereby suppress a concentration of
nitrogen oxide to a predetermined value or less; an oxidation catalyst for oxidizing
carbon monoxide contained in the gas after the passage through the
water pipe group by
oxygen and for reducing
nitrogen oxide contained therein by
carbon monoxide; and an air-ratio adjusting device for adjusting an air ratio of the premixed burner, in which: the premixed burner and the
water pipe group have such characteristics that when the air ratio is a set air ratio, a
concentration ratio of
oxygen,
nitrogen oxides, and carbon
monoxide in the gas on a primary side of the oxidation catalyst becomes a predetermined
concentration ratio; the oxidation catalyst has such characteristics that when the
concentration ratio is a predetermined concentration ratio, a concentration of
nitrogen oxides on a
secondary side of the oxidation catalyst is substantially zero while a concentration of carbon
monoxide is decreased to substantially zero or a predetermined value or less; and the predetermined concentration ratio is kept to be constant by being controlled to the set air ratio by the air-ratio adjusting device.