TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Method: The hydrogen feed is provided by steam reforming, oxidation of methanol, oxidation of methane, oxidation of biomass, coal gasification or gasification of organic wastes, or plastics wastes farm wastes or wood chips. Exposing is conducted at 80-150degreesC, and at pH greater than 8. Formate is formed in a base-catalyzed water-gas-shift reaction. The water-gas-shift reaction is conducted in the presence of a base added to promote formate formation. The hydrogen feed is produced fromPreferred Concentration: The hydrogen feed has a carbon monoxide concentration of 50- less than 20 ppm.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The catalyst is a homogeneous transition metal complex comprising ruthenium, nickel, rhodium, platinum, cobalt, copper, palladium, iridium, or iron. The catalyst is a transition metal coupled to an N-donor ligand. The transition metal complex comprises RuCl3.xH2O, Ru3(CO)12, NiCl2.6H2O, RhCl3.3H2O. CoCl2, K2PtCl4, FeCl2, Ru(CO)5, Ni(CO)4, Rh6(CO)16, Co2(CO)8, and/or (Pt(CO)(Cl2))2. The formate comprises formats of sodium, potassium, lithium, or cesium.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The base comprises hydroxides, alkoxides, carbonates, bicarbonates of lithium, sodium, potassium, or cesium, and/or 1-4C amines. The N-donor ligand comprises 2,2'dipyridyl, sodium salt of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, ethylene diamine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 4,4'-dipyridyl, 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, and/or N.N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethylenediamine H4. The liquid phase is water, methanol, glyme, polyglycol, 2-30C alcohols, and/or 2-10C ethers. EXAMPLE - A deep red solution resulted on adding 3 mmol RuCl3.xH2O to 130 mL 85% triglyme/10% methyl alcohol/5% water solvent mixture. The red solution and 50 mmol KHCO2 were pressurized with 1.4 MPa nitrogen gas, and heated to 120degreesC. The pressure increased with time at a constant temperature of 120degreesC. Heating was continued for 80 minutes until a constant temperature was attained indicating that gas evolution of mainly carbon dioxide ad hydrogen gas from formate decomposition had ceased. On cooling, a net pressure increase of 0.22 MPa was noted.