Patent ID: 7247592

Claim:
A method of activating a carbon monoxide removing catalyst which has received a reducing treatment at the time of obtaining this catalyst, said carbon monoxide removing catalyst adapted for use in a fuel reforming system, the fuel reforming system manufacturing, through a reforming process, a mixture gas containing hydrogen as a main component thereof and carbon monoxide, and removing, through oxidation, the carbon monoxide from the mixture gas by causing the mixture gas and an oxidizer to react on the carbon monoxide removing catalyst, thus obtaining a reformed gas with the carbon monoxide oxidized/removed therefrom, wherein said reducing treatment at the time of obtaining the catalyst is a liquid phase reducing treatment; and wherein prior to its use in the carbon monoxide oxidizing/removing operation, said carbon monoxide removing catalyst is caused to contact an inactive gas or a hydrogen-containing inactive gas consisting of less than 50 volume % of hydrogen gas and the remaining volume of inactive gas at a temperature from 80° C. to 400° C., whereby said catalyst is activated.