NextEnergy Center To Get Membrane Reactor-Based Hydrogen Generator

Hydrogen Separators And Membrane Reactors Developed By REB Research Will Play Key Role In Reducing Costs Of Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Ferndale, MI — Oakland County's REB Research & Consulting Company is developing a hydrogen generatormetallic rod that combines a simple way to make hydrogen and a metallic membrane that filters out impurities, leaving hydrogen pure enough for use in fuel cells. After selling smaller prototypes for years, REB, owned and managed by Dr. Robert Buxbaum, has just received its first major sale, worth $300,000 to the Michigan's NextEnergy Center. Making hydrogen on site will reduce the safety hazards and congestion that could come from large-scale hydrogen deliveries to the center. REB is also the lead organization on a $3,000,000 Department of Energy Project formed to reduce the costs for this hydrogen cleaning process. Robert Buxbaum is the lead organization on a Department of Energy Project formed to reduce costs for the hydrogen cleaning process.

Robert Buxbaum, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, founded REB Research in 1987. REB makes use of Dr. Buxbaum's research and 24-year expertise and technology research in the behavior areas of hydrogen in metals, separation and generation. Mr. Hydrogen®, REB's first product, was a compact, simple-to-use hydrogen purifier and has been the first of many hydrogen products that REB makes today. For the past 10 years REB has been selling the reactors, based on technology developed in Russia. Membrane reactors provide compact efficient ways for hydrogen generators that convert methanol/water (or wood alcoholammonia) into ultra-pure hydrogen. So pure that it can take commercial grade hydrogen at a purity of 99.5% and convert that to ultra-pure hydrogen at 99.999995%. REB is the only company to offer such products in the marketplace. Customers include fuel cell companies, hydrogen related businesses from around the world as well as many leading research universities globally. Companies and organizations in the hydrogen and fuel cell market realize that, in order for fuel cells and other hydrogen products to become more main stream, they must include a more cost-effective source of pure hydrogen. This is especially true in mobile and remote environments where bottled gas is not an option. Dr. Buxbaum's products and technologies provide this cost-effective source of hydrogen. The new materials being developed with DoE money will lower the costs still further. "We intend to make generated hydrogen so cheap that only a fool would use bottled gas, "said Robert Buxbaum as he works to reduce cost in the hydrogen generation and filtration steps of these products life cycles.

SOURCE: REB Research