Hydrogenation reaction of N-ethylcarbazole was investigated over ruthenium catalyst supported by alumina powder. The catalytic conversion of 100% and selectivity of 98% towards N-perhydroethylcarbazole were achieved over 1 g catalyst. The effect of temperature, hydrogen pressure, stirring speed and the dosage of catalyst on the hydrogen capacity of N-ethylcarbazole in liquid phase were studied, respectively. The optimum reaction condition was 6.0 MPa, 413 K, 1.0 gRu/gamma-Al2O3, 600rpm, and the corresponding hydrogen storage capacity reached 5.6 wt% approximately. The kinetics of hydrogenation was also discussed and the apparent activation energy was 27.01 kJ/mol. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.