According to biofuels researchers, even the lowly pond scum should be revered. Several startup companies are in various test phases of producing biodiesel from algae that rests upon shallow waters and can produce a magnitude more fuel per acre than soy or rapeseed.

Solix Biofuels is working with Colorado State University on an algae to biodiesel process that feeds off of carbon dioxide, which is addition by subtraction.

In New Zealand, algae that forms in a waste treatment pool has been used in a 5 percent (B5) blend by Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation. The fuel was successfully tested in a vehicle, and now the company is ramping up production.

Algae can produced 200 times more biodiesel per acre than growing soybeans, and I'm guessing it requires considerably less labor to monitor. But the tradeoffs are you don't have any food as a byproduct, and what about all the water that is needed? I'd like to see a comparison for how much water is used in the planting versus skimming method.

Making biodiesel from algae is getting considerable support from investors and could be a breakthrough technology within a year or two. If this domestic fuel can be produced at a lower total cost (including the environmental impact), than we may see a huge swell in demand for diesel vehicles.

Heck, I'd be happy with just producing enough biodiesel to fill all of the trucks with B20.