Ethanol Reformer hits commercial market

Engineer Russel Gehrke with American Green Holdings Inc. invented the Ethanol Reformer, which more efficiently processes ethanol in stationary engines. After testing a prototype on Nebraska farms, American Green Holdings tweaked the Ethanol Reformer to cut hourly ethanol use in irrigation systems by more than half and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a company news release.

“We are very happy with this version of the Reformer,” American Green Holdings CEO Dale Wiley said in the release. “We have used an oil-heating mechanism instead of using water heat, thereby protecting the fuel system.”

Gehrke perfected the Reformer by using ethanol’s flame speed to match the engine’s workload, creating a more efficient process than automakers have achieved using fuel injection and carburetion.

“People for too long have believed that they would achieve their best results with ethanol by having the fuel match the air,” Gehrke said in the release. “Instead, we use the waste heat energy to increase the engine’s volumetric efficiency. Ethanol’s higher octane number allows us to do the same amount of work with a great reduction in fuel.”

American Green Holdings has used the Ethanol Reformer in its EcoOutlaw motorcycles, debuted in Springfield last summer, and the company will soon unveil its adaptation for motor vehicles.

Last month, American Green Holdings received free advertising that landed its logos, including those for www.bidforgreen.com, on an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” One of the show’s producers has partnered with the company on a pilot project to power the show’s production with biodiesel produced by American Green Holdings.