American Hydrogen Corp., a start-up company at Ohio University's Innovation Center, announced today plans to open a manufacturing facility in Meigs County that could provide 100 jobs in the next three years. The company holds a license to commercialize hydrogen fuel technology developed by university researcher Gerardine Botte.
The company, a subsidiary of American Security Resources Corp., has entered into a lease purchase agreement on a 31,600-square-foot building in the East Meigs Industrial Park in Tuppers Plains, Ohio.
The facility will be used to manufacture Botte's patent-pending ammonia catalytic electrolyzers, which efficiently convert ammonia into hydrogen to produce inexpensive fuel, said Botte, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. The company also will assemble units that combine ammonia catalytic electrolyzers with fuel cells.
In August, American Hydrogen signed a licensing agreement with Ohio University for exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize Botte's technology and moved into the Innovation Center, Ohio University's small business incubator. American Hydrogen, which will continue to have a presence in the Innovation Center, has hired more employees and expanded its offices there, Innovation Center Director Linda Clark said.
Today's announcement is good economic news for Meigs County, which has an unemployment rate of 10 percent, but also is a "double win" for the Innovation Center, Clark said.
"Our mission is to assist in the commercialization of university technology through business start-ups and to create jobs for the region. American Hydrogen is commercializing university research and is projecting to create over 100 jobs in Meigs County," she said.
The first application of the technology will be for fuel for hydrogen generators that produce electricity for homes and offices.
"This building gives us the space we need to develop our processes for the large industrial applications we have identified," said Benjamin Shafer, president of American Hydrogen.
The Meigs County Community Improvement Corp. constructed the building with support from the Ohio Department of Development's Rural Industrial Park Program and the Governor's Office of Appalachia.
"We are happy to welcome American Security Resources and this exciting technology to our community," said Paul Reed, president of the Meigs County Community Improvement Corp.
Added Mick Davenport, president of the Meigs County Board of Commissioners, "American Hydrogen will be a wonderful asset to this region and to the entire state of Ohio."
