"We believe GTI is now strongly positioned to develop and deploy both stationary and transportation energy systems utilizing ethanol to hydrogen reformation," stated Gerry Runte, Executive Director of GTI's Hydrogen Systems Center. "We were able to produce a high-quality hydrogen gas from ethanol -- similar to results using natural gas -- and demonstrated our process to representatives of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)."

RFA President Bob Dinneen stated: "We believe ethanol can play an important role in fueling the future hydrogen economy. Ethanol has been proven to be more efficient and easier to reform into hydrogen than gasoline. And as a domestic, renewable fuel, ethanol used for hydrogen will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy security compared to fossil fuels."

One GTI goal is to utilize ethanol as the primary fuel to produce hydrogen in a hydrogen fueling station platform similar to the natural gas-to-hydrogen station being developed by GTI under a United States Department of Energy sponsored program. GTI is also pursuing the use of ethanol for stationary fuel cell demonstrations. "Ethanol has the potential to be an integral part of the emerging hydrogen economy. Its properties make it an excellent liquid fuel for the extraction of hydrogen," said Runte.

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) applauds GTI's research and development work to demonstrate that ethanol is a viable feedstock for hydrogen production for transportation vehicles and electrical generation. "Ethanol is a clean, renewable fuel produced in Illinois that provides economic growth in our rural areas while also reducing our dependence on petroleum and natural gas. We look forward to working with GTI and others to develop and demonstrate an ethanol to hydrogen refueling facility in Illinois," said DCEO Director Jack Lavin.

GTI is working with industry partners to commercialize hydrogen fueling station systems and would like to expand that work to include systems that utilize ethanol to produce hydrogen. "It is likely that a variety of feed stocks will be used to produce distributed hydrogen depending on the region of the country. Certainly, there can be benefits to utilizing renewable fuels like ethanol, particularly in the Midwest," said William Liss, Director of Hydrogen Systems at GTI.

Complementary to its forty years of experience in fuel cells, GTI has over three decades of experience in converting a variety of fuels into hydrogen. This unique experience and background made it possible to create a successful ethanol to hydrogen system in a short period of time. GTI's fuel processor technology uses minimum components for low cost and simplicity. This includes an optional passive carbon monoxide (CO) control system that consistently produces less than 4 ppm CO without requiring complicated control systems. The unit is adaptable to use either fuel cell anode recycle gas or pressure swing adsorption off-gas recovery for efficient supplemental heat generation.

GTI is the leading research, development, and training organization serving the natural gas and energy industry. For more than 60 years, GTI has been meeting the nation's energy and environmental challenges by developing technology-based solutions for consumers, industry and government. Website: http://www.gastechnology.org .