Carl D. Keith: Difference between revisions
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From 1943 to 1957, Keith was a chemist at [[Sinclair Oil]]. He later was hired by [[Engelhard]] Industries.<ref name=NYTObit/> |
From 1943 to 1957, Keith was a chemist at [[Sinclair Oil]]. He later was hired by [[Engelhard]] Industries.<ref name=NYTObit/> |
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The 1970 amendments to the [[Clean Air Act (1970)|Clean Air Act]] required significant reductions in hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The converters available at the time were [[oxidation]] catalysts, which could handle hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide, but were ineffective in reducing nitrogen oxides. Car manufacturers and catalyst companies were trying to develop a multiple step process that would address hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in one process while reducing nitrogen oxides in another.<ref name=NJIT/> |
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The three-way catalyst developed by Keith and [[John J. Mooney]] with their team at Englehard allowed all three exhaust pollutants to be remediated using a single catalyst bed. Their solution to addressing the variations in air / fuel mixtures was was to combine [[Rare earth element|rare earth]] oxides and base metal oxide components in the catalyst together with [[Platinum]] and [[Rhodium]] in a ceramic honeycomb with tiny passages coated with the catalytic material. This design ensured that the oxygen needed in the reactions was absorbed up when it was in excess and released when it was needed, allowing all three pollutants to be removed in a single catalytic component. The three-way catalytic converter reduces nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen, oxidizes carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and oxidizes unburnt hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water.<ref name=NJIT>[http://chemicaleng.njit.edu/news/JMooney.php An AIChE Mini History of John Mooney], [[New Jersey Institute of Technology]]. Accessed November 15, 2008.</ref><ref name=NYTObit/> |
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From 1976 until his retirement from Engelhard in 1985, Keith was an executive vice president, president and finally chairman of the company.<ref name=NYTObit/> |
From 1976 until his retirement from Engelhard in 1985, Keith was an executive vice president, president and finally chairman of the company.<ref name=NYTObit/> |
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Revision as of 01:30, 16 November 2008
 | This article is currently being heavily edited because its subject has recently died. Information about their death and related events may change significantly and initial news reports may be unreliable. The most recent updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
Carl Donald Keith (May 29, 1920 - November 9, 2008) was a chemist who was co-inventor of the three-way catalytic converter, which has played a dramatic role in reducing pollution from motor vehicles since their introduction in the mid-1970s.
Keith was born on May 29, 1920 in Stewart Creek, West Virginia to Howard, a steelworker, and Mary Rawson Keith, who worked in a bakery. He received a bachelors degree from Salem College in North Carolina in 1943, earned a master's degree in chemistry from Indiana University in 1945 and was awarded a doctorate from DePaul University in 1947.[1]
From 1943 to 1957, Keith was a chemist at Sinclair Oil. He later was hired by Engelhard Industries.[1]
The 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act required significant reductions in hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The converters available at the time were oxidation catalysts, which could handle hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide, but were ineffective in reducing nitrogen oxides. Car manufacturers and catalyst companies were trying to develop a multiple step process that would address hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in one process while reducing nitrogen oxides in another.[2]
The three-way catalyst developed by Keith and John J. Mooney with their team at Englehard allowed all three exhaust pollutants to be remediated using a single catalyst bed. Their solution to addressing the variations in air / fuel mixtures was was to combine rare earth oxides and base metal oxide components in the catalyst together with Platinum and Rhodium in a ceramic honeycomb with tiny passages coated with the catalytic material. This design ensured that the oxygen needed in the reactions was absorbed up when it was in excess and released when it was needed, allowing all three pollutants to be removed in a single catalytic component. The three-way catalytic converter reduces nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen, oxidizes carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and oxidizes unburnt hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water.[2][1]
From 1976 until his retirement from Engelhard in 1985, Keith was an executive vice president, president and finally chairman of the company.[1]
Keith was a resident of Marco Island, Florida. He died at age 88 on November 9, 2008 while visiting one of his daughters in New Bern, North Carolina. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Hevesi, Dennis. "Carl D. Keith, a Father of the Catalytic Converter, Dies at 88", November 14, 2008. Accessed November 15, 2008.
- ^ a b An AIChE Mini History of John Mooney, New Jersey Institute of Technology. Accessed November 15, 2008.
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