American Security Resources Corp. (ASRC), Houston, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, recently announced that American Hydrogen Corp., a unit of ASRC, has been granted a worldwide exclusive license to commercialize the patent-pending catalytic electrolyzer technology developed by Ohio University’s Dr. Geraldine Botte, associate professor of Chemical and Bio-Molecular Engineering at the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. Botte has developed a method of producing hydrogen from ammonia for a fraction of the current commercial cost. As a result, hydrogen can be used as a fuel source in a wide range of applications, including transportation and energy production.
“It is really amazing to see the ammonia electrolysis technology being taken into the marketplace: that is the dream of any investigator and faculty member,” said Botte. “Our interaction with American Hydrogen Corp. is excellent. We are really happy to partner with them, and we will support their goal of having products in the market very soon. The beauty of this technology is that it can go so many places,” added Botte. “It could drive a car here, but it could even be in a shuttle in a mission to Mars in the future.”
The first application of Botte’s research will be in fuel for a hydrogen generator that produces electricity for homes and offices. “We see the first sweet spot in the market being the introduction of the hydrogen economy in stationary applications, followed by mobile applications, and any place where power is intermittent, problematic and needs to be supported over an extended period of time,” said Ben Schafer, American Hydrogen Corp. president.
The ARSR/Ohio University deal includes a $600,000 contract to support research and development of the technology, including funding for several student and technical staff members. There is also an agreement that grants The Ohio University Foundation equity in ARSC.
Ammonia for fuel use has been gaining more attention in recent years. The fourth annual Ammonia Fuel Conference will be held this year Oct. 15-16 in San Francisco. For more information, see www.energy.iastate.edu/becon/download%20NH3/AmmoniaMtg07.html.