In a recent article in the journal, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (India) and the University of Manitoba (Canada), propose the harnessing of diatoms for oil to be utilized in biodiesel or bio-hydrocarbon fuel production. Diatoms are unicellular algae, with cell walls made of silica. Their cells are reported to have a high oil content, which can be extracted for biodiesel production. According to co-author Richard Gordon, live diatoms are estimated to produce 10 to 200 times more oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds. In their paper, the scientists propose three methods for harnessing diatoms for biofuels: (1) biochemical engineering, to extract oil from diatoms and process it into gasoline; (2) a multiscale nanostructured leaf-like panel, using live (genetically-engineered) diatoms to secrete oil (as accomplished by mammalian milk ducts), which is then processed into gasoline; and (3) the use of such a panel with diatoms that produce gasoline directly. The full paper can be accessed at the journal website (URL above)..