TCC Investment	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Text Block]	16. TCC Investment In February 2008, the Company entered into an agreement with Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (TKK) to form a new joint venture company, TC Catalyst Incorporated (TCC), a Japanese corporation. The joint venture is part of the Catalyst division. The Company entered the joint venture in order to improve its presence in Japan and Asia and strengthen its business flow into the Asian market. In December 2008, the Company sold shares in TCC to TKK reducing its ownership to 30%. In December 2009, the Company agreed to sell and transfer specific three-way catalyst and zero platinum group metal patents to TKK for use in specific geographic regions. As part of the transaction, the Company also sold shares in TCC, which reduced its ownership in the joint venture to 5%. The Company remains contractually obligated to fund its portion of the losses of the joint venture based on its ownership percentage. TCC operates with a March 31 fiscal year-end. The Company’s investment in TCC is accounted for using the equity method as the Company still has significant influence over TCC as a result of having a seat on TCC’s board and due to the technological interdependence between TCC and the Company. In February 2010, the Company entered into an agreement to loan 37.5 million JPY (approximately $0.4 million) to TCC to fund continuing operations. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had loaned TCC 37.5 million JPY. If the loan is not repaid by TCC, it will offset the Company’s obligation to fund its portion of TCC’s losses. Given TCC’s historical losses, the loan has been recorded as a reduction of such obligations. TCC has repaid 21.5 million JPY as of December 31, 2012. At December 31, 2012, the Company’s loan to TCC was $0.2 million which was offset by the Company’s share of accumulated losses in the amount of $0.2 million.

TCC Investment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Text Block]

16. TCC Investment

In February 2008, the Company entered into an agreement with Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (TKK) to form a new joint venture company, TC Catalyst Incorporated (TCC), a Japanese corporation. The joint venture is part of the Catalyst division. The Company entered the joint venture in order to improve its presence in Japan and Asia and strengthen its business flow into the Asian market.

In December 2008, the Company sold shares in TCC to TKK reducing its ownership to 30%. In December 2009, the Company agreed to sell and transfer specific three-way catalyst and zero platinum group metal patents to TKK for use in specific geographic regions. As part of the transaction, the Company also sold shares in TCC, which reduced its ownership in the joint venture to 5%. The Company remains contractually obligated to fund its portion of the losses of the joint venture based on its ownership percentage. TCC operates with a March 31 fiscal year-end.

The Company’s investment in TCC is accounted for using the equity method as the Company still has significant influence over TCC as a result of having a seat on TCC’s board and due to the technological interdependence between TCC and the Company. In February 2010, the Company entered into an agreement to loan 37.5 million JPY (approximately $0.4 million) to TCC to fund continuing operations. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had loaned TCC 37.5 million JPY. If the loan is not repaid by TCC, it will offset the Company’s obligation to fund its portion of TCC’s losses. Given TCC’s historical losses, the loan has been recorded as a reduction of such obligations. TCC has repaid 21.5 million JPY as of December 31, 2012.

At December 31, 2012, the Company’s loan to TCC was $0.2 million which was offset by the Company’s share of accumulated losses in the amount of $0.2 million.