Ethanol is a renewable biomass-derived fuel. It seems, therefore, to be one of the most suitable raw materials for the production of hydrogen. Steam reforming can be utilized for hydrogen production and equilibrium shifting is considered to be effective for promoting the reaction. Our group has succeeded in removing the CO(2) by-product selectively from the reaction zone by using a packed bed reactor with a mixture of a steam-reforming catalyst and a CO(2) absorbent. Pellets of lithium silicate (Li(4)SiO(4)) were applied as the absorbent. This is a report on the relationship between CO(2) absorption by Li(4)SiO(4) and the equilibrium-shift effect for overall reactions. Experimental results showed an obvious effect that resulted in keeping not only the concentration of H(2) above 99 dry vol% but also the concentration of CO below 0.12 dry voI% for 0.5 h. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.