TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Process: The process further comprises cooling the CO reduction zone with a water stream to provide steam for step (a).The CO reduction zone comprises a water gas shift reaction zone and selective CO oxidation or methanation processes.A portion of the heat from step (f) is provided to the reforming zone.The flue gas temperature I 400 - 800 degrees C.The pre-reforming temperature is 300 - 700 degrees C, and the reforming exit temperature is less than 700 degrees C.The combusting of the anode waste gas occurs in a combustion zone which provides heat to the reforming zone.Preferred Feedstock: The feedstock is selected from natural gas, LPG, butanes, gasoline, oxygenates, biogas, and naphtha.The hydrocarbon feedstock comprises naphtha and the feedstock is desulfurized prior to passing to the pre-reforming zone.The hydrocarbon feedstock comprises natural gas and is desulfurized over a chemisorbent prior to passing to the pre-reforming zone.The hydrocarbon feedstock comprises a gasoline boiling range stream comprising sulfur compounds and the preparation module comprises a pump, a hydrodesulfurization zone containing a desulfurization catalyst, and a sulfur removal zone containing a sorbent for removing at least a portion of the sulfur compound.The process further comprises passing the hydrogen product to a separation zone to remove carbon oxides prior to passing to the fuel cell zone.The process further comprises passing at least a portion of the hydrogen product to the desulfurization catalyst comprising a metal oxide base and a metal cation selected from nickel, cobalt and/or molybdenum.Preferred Apparatus: The reaction chamber comprises carbon steel or stainless steel.The separation zone comprises a pressure swing adsorption zone or a thermal swing adsorption zone containing an adsorbent selective for the removal of carbon oxides form the hydrogen product.The preparation module comprises a compressor and a sorbent zone containing a sorbent for removing at least a portion of the sulfur compounds, and sorbent being selected from zeolites, activated carbon, activated alumina, zinc oxide and/or magnesium oxide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The partial oxidation zone contains a partial oxidation catalyst comprising a metal selected from Group VIII noble metal selected from platinum, palladium, and rhodium, and Groups IVA selected from germanium, lead and tin, and IA and IIA selected from sodium, potassium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, francium, radium, strontium, and barium, composited on a metal oxide support comprising a cerium-containing alumina.Preferred Support: The support comprises alpha-alumina and theta-alumina and 0.01 - 5.0 wt.%, preferably 0.01 - 10 wt.% cerium by weight of the metal oxide support.