Catalytic converter developer honored for car contribution

From USATODAY.com Tech - Top Stories:

Early in his career, Dick Klimisch realized he wasn't going to be satisfied working as a chemical engineer figuring out how to make synthetic underpants for 5 cents cheaper. It was the late 1960s, and then he saw an ad in a trade journal saying General Motors was looking for chemists to work on catalysis. It was odd. GM generally hired mechanical engineers to build engines and powertrains, not chemists. Klimisch jumped at the opportunity and soon led a team to develop what is arguably the device most responsible for cleaning vehicle tailpipe emissions: the catalytic converter. "The catalytic converter has had a profound impact on our environment," says Jim Kliesch, senior engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Advances in the catalytic converter, which rolled out on GM's 1975 model-year cars, and computer-controlled fuel injection technology have all but eliminated tailpipe emissions, he says.

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