A Different Approach

Currently, the majority of ethanol produced around the world comes from the fermentation of grains - corn and wheat - or sugarcane, which is no longer lucrative given the recent rise in the price of these commodities. Syntec's process departs from convention, utilizing a thermo-chemical process to produce ethanol from non-food feedstocks (cellulosic biomass). Essentially, the Company takes organic waste material (such as wood chips, corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, municipal solid waste, etc.) and turns it into a fuel that is ecologically friendly and produced ethically.

Feedstock Flexibility
Syntec's process is compatible with syngas whether from biomass, coal or natural gas. It can be applied to agricultural, industrial and municipal operations, converting their waste streams into a value-added product. Syntec can take the leaves, stalks, and any leftover biomass waste, and with their catalysts, convert it into mixed alcohols and valuable fuel that can fill your gas tank and run your car.

Here, There, Everywhere
Feedstock flexibility, lower production costs, and high yields (110 gallons per ton) make Syntec's process an ideal technology that can be applied anywhere in the world. The Company's plants are designed to be economically viable at a range of commercial sizes, allowing them to build their plants at the source of readily available biomass, thus eliminating the impact on agricultural lands and significantly reducing heavy transportation costs.

Syntec's Solution Offers the Value of Coproducts

The value of coproducts in the production of biofuels has long been overlooked by the industry as a whole. However, in recent debates surrounding the net energy value of ethanol, the discussion of biofuel coproducts took center stage. With the recent drop in ethanol prices and the ensuing reduced operating margins affecting the entire ethanol industry, the potential value and broader market possibilities of biofuel coproducts have suddenly garnered tremendous interest within the industry.

Syntec Biofuel's thermo-chemical conversion of biomass into alcohols produces a mixture of methanol, propanol, butanol, and ethanol. This provides producers with a diversified product line that inherently hedges bets against potential market fluctuations in ethanol prices. The higher retail prices of propanol and butanol, and the consistent demand for methanol, provide producers with both economic security and stability should the demand or price of ethanol drop.

Even more compelling in the argument for diversified product lines is the fact that the coproducts produced by Syntec's thermo-chemical process already enjoy an existing market with ready buyers. The products can be quickly and easily transported via pre-existing infrastructure, distribution channels, and into well-established industries. As the coproducts appeal to different industries - transportation, chemical, industrial, etc. - should one product market experience troubling times, it will not result in immediate declines in demand for the others. Many of these coproducts also enjoy high marketplace value and demand in overseas markets, such as in China where there are extreme shortages of propanol.

Michael Jackson, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Jackson was appointed as Syntec's Chief Executive Officer in October 2008, after having worked with Syntec since 2005 and acting as Chairman and President since January 2006. Bringing over 35 years of legal, investment and business development experience to the Company, Jackson is responsible for all strategic business decisions and legal matters for Syntec. Prior to joining Syntec, Jackson was the Founder and CEO of Polgosis Software, a software development company. He is also the Founder and President of Hillcon Developments Ltd., a real estate development company with completed syndicated projects in excess of $300 million. Over the years Jackson has successfully taken a number of companies public. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa with a law degree.

Nancy Ross, Vice President of Operations
Nancy Ross was appointed as Syntec's Vice President of Operations in January 2008, and has been involved with the company and its various operational departments since February 2007. Ross has held significant roles with a number of successful start-up companies, and brings extensive experience in business development, product management, cost administration, and new markets penetration to Syntec.

Dr. Caili Su, Senior Scientist
Dr. Caili Su was appointed Senior Scientist at Syntec in April 2005. Dr. Su has over 15 years of experience in R&D, product and process development for commercialization and working with both emerging and well-established national companies. Prior to Syntec, she held a number of senior research and leadership positions with Membrane Reactor Technologies (Canada), AIST (Japan), and the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (China). Dr. Su holds several patents related to catalyst technology and is a published author and co-author of over 20 papers in the areas of catalysis, separation, and process technologies. She holds a B.S. in Organic Chemistry from Nanjing University, M.S. in Physical Chemistry from Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, and received her Ph.D from Tsinghua University.