The US DOE recently has awarded Virent Energy Systems (VES) about $ 2million for research in support of President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.
Virent has a one-step process for reforming sugar-based liquids into hydrogen and other fuel gases for distributed systems. Its process can be tuned to offer blends of hydrogen and other fuel gases, such as natural gas.
This reforming system can be used at existing gasoline stations or offer on-board reformation, thereby eliminating the need for a substantial hydrogen transport and delivery infrastructure.
Eric Apfelbach, president of Virent, noted that the grant will help create a reactor large enough to produce 2.5 kilograms of hydrogen per hour - enough to power a car.
