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Gerardine Botte, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, has developed a patent-pending ammonia catalytic electrolyzer technology, which efficiently converts ammonia into hydrogen to produce inexpensive fuel.

One cylinder of ammonia can be used to create nine or ten cylinders of hydrogen. Ammonia is easily condensed which makes it much more convenient for transportation and storage than hydrogen. Through the catalytic process, pure hydrogen production is very close to 100%.  The process also creates nitrogen which is removed by liquefaction.

"The beauty of this technology is that it can go so many places. It could drive a car here, but it could even be in a shuttle in a mission to Mars in the future," Botte said.

Cheap hydrogen production has taken a step closer as Gerardine Botte has (with Ohio university) signed an agreement to license her technology to a corporation that will take it to the marketplace.

The license agreement grants American Hydrogen Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Security Resources Corp., exclusive worldwide rights to commercialise the technology.

It was the technology's application in clean-energy fuel-cell generators that drew American Hydrogen to Botte's groundbreaking research.

Frank Neukomm, chairman and CEO of American Security Resources, said:
"We searched everywhere for a method to produce inexpensive hydrogen fuel. Dr. Botte's technology held the highest promise for knocking down the price of hydrogen to a rate that is competitive."

The deal included two other components: a $600,000 sponsored research contract from American Hydrogen to support research and development of the technology, including funding for several student and technical staff members, and an agreement that grants The Ohio University Foundation equity in American Security Resources Corp. (ASRC).

Robert Malott, associate director for technology commercialisation at Ohio University, said:
"We were successfully able to negotiate equity in ARSC for The Ohio University Foundation, giving it the opportunity to participate in a company that has three operating subsidiaries, all of which offer the opportunity for growth. The company also plans to continue making acquisitions."

Botte added:
"The company is showing it wants to establish a long-term relationship with Ohio University. They believe in technology like this and are willing to take a step outside the regular boundaries to pursue it."

The first application for Botte's research will be in fuel for a hydrogen generator that produces electricity for homes and offices. Another ARSC subsidiary, HydraFuel Cell Corp., produces the generators and was looking for ways to make them affordable for consumers when it ran across Botte's research.

"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, president of American Hydrogen Corp. "The dreams are to make it possible for my grandchildren and their children to live in a world that has the energy necessary to continue to grow, to have the economy we enjoy today."