University of Houston Taps CDTi Advanced Materials to Implement Emission Catalyst Technology for Department of Energy Grant

CDTi’s Spinel platform pivotal in winning grant to develop breakthrough catalyst for natural gas vehicles


OXNARD, Calif., April 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CDTi Advanced Materials, Inc., (Nasdaq:CDTI) (“CDTi” or “the Company”), a leader in advanced emission control technology, announced it is partnering with a consortium led by University of Houston (Houston, Texas) on a Department of Energy (DOE) grant.  CDTi’s Spinel™ technology will be a key element in developing a new class of high performance catalysts with low levels of precious metals for natural gas engine emissions control. The $2 million grant, of which $800,000 is due to CDTi, is payable over a three-year period beginning in the second quarter of 2018.

Matthew Beale, CDTi Advanced Materials' CEO, stated “The natural gas vehicle sector is gaining traction both in the US and worldwide, as many cities are switching to cleaner burning natural gas due to lower pollutants, lower cost of compliance, and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel. As a result, CNG catalysts will have to be upgraded. The University of Houston has significant experience in emission catalyst research, development, and testing for gasoline, diesel and natural gas vehicles. Participating with them in developing the next generation, breakthrough low PGM catalyst will be highly applicable to our company initiative to enter the natural gas sector.”

Michael Harold, the project Principal Investigator and chemical engineering professor from the University of Houston, states, “We are committed to advancing clean transportation fuels. Natural gas is a domestic fuel, so helping to expand its deployment through research on this DOE grant is exciting. Spinel™, CDTi’s unique advanced materials technology being developed to dramatically reduce the cost of attaining more stringent clean air standards, was a key factor in obtaining the grant.  As such, CDTi will lead the emission catalyst technology development and commercialization. This nicely complements UH’s expertise in emission catalysis and reaction engineering research and vehicle testing.”

About Spinel

The Spinel™ platform is a family of proprietary materials using various base metals that replace costly PGMs and rare earth metals in coatings on standard catalytic converters. Spinel works across a wide range of engine and vehicle applications – both gasoline and diesel – and offers significant cost savings for OEMs by dramatically reducing or eliminating expensive PGMs and rare earth metals. The technology has the potential to enable early, cost-effective compliance with stricter emissions standards in the U.S. and around the world, while mitigating OEM exposure to supply uncertainty and price volatility in the PGM and rare earth markets. More information may be obtained at www.cdti.com/spinel.

About CDTi

CDTi develops advanced materials technology for the emissions control market. CDTi’s proprietary technologies provide high-value sustainable solutions to reduce hazardous emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower the carbon intensity of on- and off-road combustion engine systems. With a continuing focus on innovation-driven commercialization and global expansion, CDTi’s breakthrough Powder-to-Coat (P2C™) technology exploits the Company’s high-performance, advanced low-platinum group metal (PGM) emission reduction catalysts. Key technology platforms include Mixed Phase Catalyst (MPC®), Base Metal Activated Rhodium Support (BMARS™), Synergized PGM (SPGM™), Zero PGM (ZPGM™) and Spinel™. For more information, please visit www.cdti.com.

Contact Information:
Moriah Shilton or Kirsten Chapman
Phone: 415-433-3777
Email: cdti@lhai.com