US Patent No. 6,809,123, Production of Hydrogen and Higher Hydrocarbons, teaches a method for producing both hydrogen and liquid hydrocarbons from feedstocks low in hydrogen (such as coal) by reacting steam instead of hydrogen with carbon monoxide in the FT reactor to produce liquid hydrocarbons. By doing so, hydrogen from the synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), produced by partial oxidation of a carbon bearing feedstock can be recovered and used for other purposes.

The patent has at least two distinct applications under which it could be utilized. The first is in an oil refinery setting where petroleum coke is being gasified for FT production and where a need exists for hydrogen for upgrading the standard petroleum products of the refinery. The initial hydrogen, produced by gasification from the petroleum coke, can be extracted from the synthesis gas and sent to the refinery. The CO is directed to the FT reactor where it is mixed with steam inside the FT reactor. The water gas shift reaction then produces the necessary H2 for conversion to liquid hydrocarbons by the FT reaction. (It is important to note that the H2 / CO ratio of the synthesis gas from the gasification unit is nominally 0.8:1 whereas the H2 /CO ratio for the production of hydrocarbons inside the FT reactor is 2:1).

Another application may be in a setting where coal or petroleum coke gasification is being utilized and a stationary fuel cell may be applied for production of electricity. The H2 stream from the gasification unit could be extracted and sent to the fuel cell as a readily available source of the required fuel. The CO would then be sent to the FT reactor where the newly patented process could be applied to complete the production of ultra-clean fuels in the GTL process.

Rentech, Inc., incorporated in 1981, is the developer and licensor of a patented and proprietary Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids process (GTL) for conversion of synthesis gas made from natural gas, industrial off-gas, or solid or liquid carbon-bearing materials into high-value fuels and chemicals. These include clean burning, ultra-low-sulfur and ultra-low-aromatic fuels (beyond detectable limits), naphtha, waxes and fuel for fuel cells.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain information included in this report, and other reports or materials filed or be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by the Company or its management) contain or will contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements may relate to financial results and plans for future business activities and are thus prospective. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. They can be identified by the use of terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate," "should" and other comparable terms or the negative of them. You are cautioned that, while forward-looking statements reflect our good faith belief and best judgment based upon current information, they are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect Rentech's results include the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and thus are current only as of the date made.

For more information please contact: Mark Koenig, Director of Investor Relations, Rentech, Inc. at 303-298-8008 or E-mail at mkir@rentk.com, or see the Company's web site at: www.rentechinc.com