Dominican students get local patent for improved catalytic converter

Santo Domingo.- The Technological Institute of SantoDomingo (Intec) on Monday obtained thefirst patent ever granted to a Dominican university from the National Office ofIntellectual Property (Onapi), for an automatically heated catalytic converter forinternal combustion engines.

Developed by students Francarlos Bencosme, of Intec, andKeyron Figueroa, of the Santo Domingo State University (UASD) -both 21, theequipment reduces the direct pollution emitted by a vehicle. The device is tobe installed in a vehicle’s exhaust system.

The current catalyst converters are also designed to reducegreenhouse gases, but don’t start working until the auto has been driven arund 10kilometers, which takes as long as 15 minutes. The invention starts workingimmediately, reducing direct pollutants up to 90%.

Bencosme and Figueroa had been working on their idea sincethey were high school sophomores and their goal now is to obtain aninternational patent and offer the prototype to automakers.