Bio-truck makes it coast to coast on wood, switchgrass, and any other type of plant material. I want to try this on a diesel. 

    Mr. Wayne Keith from Springville, Alabama designed and built a down draft gasifier which powers his V8 Dodge Dakota. His truck runs on syngas (which is produced from plant material) completely although we could use it as a supplement. Imagine a campfire. What you are witnessing is not the wood burning but the the gas coming from the wood combusting. Plants contain hydrogen and that is what burns. The gasifier (located in the bed) heats up the bio material to 2,000-3,000 degrees. Since it is enclosed oxygen can't get to it therefore it is only partly combusted so instead of ending up C02 and water vapor it is turned into hydrogen and carbon monoxide or syngas.

We could use a controller like the one they use to burn CNG in diesels. Keith says he can drive 1 mile on one pound of wood. But you wouldn't have to use wood. You could use lawn clippings or peanut shells or whatever. 

The energy content of syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) is 200 btu/per cubic foot compared to 1,000 btu/cubic foot for natural gas.