The UK Ministry of Defence is seeking a solution to the increasing requirements for portable power in the armed forces, through an initiative known as the Portable Power Systems (PPS) programme. Modern electronic systems used by today's soldiers are extremely power hungry – batteries currently constitute up to 25% of the soldier's load. The UK Ministry of Defence is exploring the use of fuel cells as a potential solution to reducing this weight significantly, and to simplifying the replenishment, support and infrastructure requirements associated with portable power systems. Oxford Catalysts has developed technology to produce hydrogen from renewable fuels, instantaneously starting from room temperature, for use in fuel cells.

The PPS programme is managed by the UK Defence Procurement Agency and undertaken by ABSL Power Solutions Ltd, in collaboration with QinetiQ as key subcontractor. Oxford Catalysts' technology has reached the short-list of Strand B of this programme, which is intended to produce prototypes within three years.

Roy Lipski, Chief Executive of Oxford Catalysts, said:

"Our short-listing for this programme's final stages of selection represents further recognition of Oxford Catalysts' technology for the generation of hydrogen from a liquid fuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. Our ground-breaking technology could represent the missing link for making portable fuel cells a commercial reality."

About Oxford Datlysts

Oxford Catalysts Group PLC, the leading catalyst innovator for clean fuels, designs and develops specialty catalysts for the generation of clean fuels from both conventional fossil fuels and certain renewable sources such as biomass. Its patent-pending technology is the result of almost 20 years of research at the University of Oxford's prestigious Wolfson Catalysis Centre, headed by Professor Malcolm Green, one of the world's most respected inorganic chemists. Oxford Catalysts was founded by Professor Green and Dr Xiao in October 2004 and was admitted to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on 26th April 2006, having raised £15m before expenses from a solid base of institutional investors.

Oxford Catalysts' strategy is to license its catalysts for commercial application by entering into co-development partnerships with leading manufacturers, producers and suppliers in the petroleum, petrochemicals, fuel cells, biogas, steam applications and catalysis markets.

Oxford Catalysts has two key platform technologies. The first is for a novel class of catalysts made from metal carbides which, for certain reactions, can match or exceed the benefits of traditional precious metal catalysts at a lower cost. Applications of these metal-carbide catalysts include the removal of sulphur from crude oil fractions (known as hydro-desulphurisation or HDS), the conversion of natural gas or coal into virtually sulphur-free liquid fuels via the Fischer-Tropsch reaction (known as the GTL and CTL processes respectively), and the transformation of biogas (waste methane) into syngas – the building block of liquid fuels.

The second platform relates to chemical reactions involving a liquid fuel containing an alcohol (such as methanol), hydrogen peroxide and water. The company's novel catalyst can be used to release hydrogen gas from this liquid fuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. This groundbreaking hydrogen-on-demand technology has the potential to significantly accelerate the commercial adoption of fuel cells in the portable and other mobile markets, by providing the much needed source of cheap, safe transportable hydrogen.

Another of the company's catalysts can be used to produce superheated steam (800c+) from the above fuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. Such portable high-temperature steam could have important applications in a broad range of markets, from cleaning and disinfecting, to motive power and electricity generation.