Syntec Biofuel Inc , a company developing biomass to fuel conversion technologies, announced that it has achieved a yield of 105 gallons of alcohol per ton of biomass. This marks a major milestone for Syntec as this yield is equivalent to revenues in excess of $27 million per year for a 300 ton per day biomass processing facility. Syntec's technology is based on thermo-chemical conversion of syngas, produced by gasifying biomass, and passing the gas over the catalysts in a fixed bed reactor. This process is similar to producing methanol which is an established and well known technology. Read

Yamaha is developing the world’s first dual-fuel motorcycle able to switch between petrol and cheaper, more environmentally friendly ethanol fuels, MCN can exclusively reveal.

The Yamaha drawings show the technology on a single-cylinder commuter bike – if Yamaha hopes to sell large numbers of the bikes, targeting the most cost-conscious market is a smart move. Read