Discontinued Operations (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Increase in Estimated Litigation Reserve	$ 0.3	$ 0.3

Amount of any increase in estimated litigation reserve attributable to the disposal group, including a component of the entity (discontinued operation), during the reporting period.

No definition available.

Name:	cdti_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationIncreaseInEstimatedLitigationReserve
Namespace Prefix:	cdti_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration