TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Components: The reforming reactor comprises a single catalyst bed. The catalyst bed further comprises a water gas shift catalyst. The reforming catalyst and the carbon dioxide fixing material have a non-uniform distribution within the catalyst bed. A heat generating mechanism is operably connected to the reactor for heating the catalyst bed to a calcination temperature. A polishing unit is located downstream from the catalyst bed for removing impurities from the hydrogen-rich reformate. It comprises drying units, methanation reactors, selective oxidation reactors, pressure swing absorption units, temperature swing absorption units, and/or membrane separators. The hydrogen storage device comprises a storage vessel and a hydrogen fixing material within the storage vessel. It comprises a liquefaction unit for converting the hydrogen-rich reformate to a liquefied reformate. The controller controls the operation reforming reactor and/or the hydrogen storage device, and controls the delivery of reformate to the reformate at a selected rate. The reforming reactor is operable in a non-reforming mode. The non-reforming mode comprises cooling the catalyst bed to a reforming temperature, heating the catalyst bed to a reforming temperature, heating the catalyst bed to a calcination temperature, hydrating the catalyst bed with steam (204), adjusting a flow of hydrocarbon fuel to the catalyst bed, or adjusting a flow of steam to the catalyst bed. A hydrogen-consuming device (250) is located downstream of the reformate outlet. A manifold is in fluid communication with each of the reforming reactor, the hydrogen storage device and the reformate outlet. The manifold is located downstream of the reforming reactor for directing reformate to the hydrogen storage device and/or the reformate outlet.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Materials: The hydrogen fixing material comprises activated carbon, carbon composites, fullerene based materials, metal hydrides, alloys comprising titanium, vanadium, chromium and manganese, or nanostructures formed from elements of the second and/or third rows of the periodic table.