TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Component: The fuel reformer system preferably includes a fuel reformer, an absorber, a fuel cell, and a burner to combust the released hydrocarbon. The fuel reformer supplied hydrogen to the fuel cell by reforming hydrocarbon fuel to a hydrogen gas stream. The absorbent material is located downstream of the reformer where reformed gas temperature in normal operation and heated gas temperature when warmed up are below the temperature at which the absorbent material releases hydrocarbon. The reformer is a catalytic or non-catalytic reformer. The fuel reformer also includes a water shift gas reactor downstream of the fuel reformer for promoting the shift reaction of carbon monoxide and water to carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Preferred Property: The absorbent material absorbs the hydrocarbon at a temperature of below 200 degrees Celsius and releases the absorbed hydrocarbon at a temperature of above 200 degrees Celsius. Preferred Condition: The release of the hydrocarbon controls the temperature of the reformed gas by adding oxygen upstream of the absorbent material during reform operation. Preferred Method: The fuel reformer system is operated under start-up conditions by initiating start burner operation by supplying fuel and air to the start burner; judging the startup complete when a target temperature is reached at the anode burner; stopping supply of fuel and air to the start burner; starting supply of fuel, air and water to the reformer, fuel cell and anode burner; calculating absorption quantity of fuel by adding current fuel release quantity to a previously memorized predetermined fuel release quantity, such that if the calculated hydrocarbon absorption quantity exceeds the predetermined allowable fuel absorption quantity, absorbed hydrocarbon is released and purified; or if the calculated hydrocarbon absorption quantity does not exceed the predetermined fuel absorption quantity, operation shifts to normal operation to prevent wasteful consumption of hydrocarbon due to the fuel release purification process. It further involves judging the predetermined necessary release time for the fuel and measuring the fixed time; releasing the fuel for purification in the anode burner; memorizing the absorption quantity as zero; and shifting operation to normal operation.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The absorbent material comprises zeolite having inorganic pore structure. The zeolite is an MFI type zeolite.