SBIR Phase II: Low-Cost Hydrogen for Next Generation Vehicles

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a low cost process for producing high-pressure hydrogen. This process uses a proven, regenerable, low cost CO2 sorbent to minimize capital costs and improve efficiency. The key to the process is a sorbent that shifts the equilibrium of the reforming and shift reactions that convert hydrocarbons to hydrogen. The sorbent will be produced using commercial production equipment and tested to determine its lifetime and performance. In the near term, an improved hydrogen production process would significantly reduce the cost of the hydrogen used in oil refineries to make reformulated (cleaner burning) gasoline, and bulk chemicals such as fertilizers and chemical intermediates. In the longer term, the new system can significantly reduce the cost of producing hydrogen to distribution centers that will be needed for hydrogen fueled vehicles and other fuel cell applications