Bugs Create Natural Gas from Oil

This is intersting. From Forbes:

Innovations: Organic Fuels
Gassy Bugs

Kerry A. Dolan 10.11.07, 6:00 AM ET

BURLINGAME, CALIF. -
Who knew that tiny bugs deep underground are burping out natural gas, even at this very moment?

Three years ago, Luca Technologies, a start-up in Golden, Colo., discovered that microorganisms in U.S. coal fields are converting--in real time--large hydrocarbon molecules into methane, a natural gas. The obvious entrepreneurial reaction? Harness those "bugs" and put them to work producing natural gas in underutilized oil and coal fields, decided Luca Technologies Chief Executive Robert Pfeiffer.

Now some big backers are betting that Luca’s technology will pay off. In late...(complete article here).

Think of the possibilities: Recover fuel in the form of methane from old "played-out" fields, convert used oil, convert inaccessible oil to natural gas, etc. Natural gas is one of the cleanest burning fuels available.