There is quite a bit of activity, but no one has the definitive answers yet.

These groups are not academic, but are working on oil from algae (the first is mine):

[[http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/oil_from_algae/join Yahoo group]]

[[http://www.biodieselnow.com/forums/13.aspx Biodiesel forum]]

[[http://www.oilgae.com/ Algae Portal]]

[[http://www.onecelloil.com/ One cell oil]]

Borowitzka's student Navid did some interesting work with CCMP647:

The front matter for his thesis is at:

http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/pubfiles/adt-MU20050901.140745/01Front.pdf

or:

http://tinyurl.com/kssqb

The rest of it is at:

http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/pubfiles/adt-MU20050901.140745/02Whole.pdf

or:

http://tinyurl.com/gzkp2


He gave me this URL:

http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20050901.140745

or:

http://tinyurl.com/p2cd7)


In addition, it was published in the Journal of Applied Phycology in the December 2006 issue:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/f135v081tv283680/

I hope you will keep us updated on your progress.

The following references are useful:

BENEMANN, J. R. 2004. Hydrogen and methane production by microalgae. In:
Handbook of Microalgal culture: Biotechnology and Applied Phycology. Ed. A.
Richmond. Blackwell Publishing

BOROWITZKA, M.A. 1988. Fats, oils and hydrocarbons. 257-287. In: Microalgal
Biotechnology: Eds. Borowitzka & Borowitzka. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

HAAG, A. L. 2007. Algae bloom again. Nature 447: 520-521

HILLEN, L. W., Pollard, G., Wake, L. V. and White, N. 1982. Hydrocracking of the oils of Botryococcus braunii to transport fuels. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 24 (1): 193-205

SHEEHAN, J., Dunahay, T., Benemann, J. and Roessler, P. 1988. A Look Back at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel Production from Algae. National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL/TP-580- 24190