The US government has given funding to a company examining the use of palladium in its hydrogen purification and separation technology.

Genesis Fueltech, a small business located in Washington state, announced that the department of energy had handed it the research grant. It did not reveal the amount of the funding.

It will carry out tests to see if durable palladium alloys can be used as the metallic membranes used in fuel cell systems, as well as in the manufacture of ultra pure hydrogen.

Low cost palladium membranes could help make fuel cell power systems much more widely available to consumers by reducing the manufacturing costs of fuel processors and hydrogen purification devices.

The grant should be just the start of US government investment in fuel cell technology after it announced last month that it is to plough a total of $52.5 million into fuel cell studies over the next three years.

It has set a target of making fuel cells a viable technology by 2020 in order to drive down the country's reliance on foreign oil reserves.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd