Other firms are working on ways to break up the cells of oil-rich algae to get at the oil.

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What is becoming clearer with time is that the chemical dispersants typically used in clean-up efforts to break masses of oil up into small droplets does more harm than good.

BBC: Deepwater Horizon: Gulf of Mexico 'deep-cleaned' itself

The volume of oil -- and the amount of chemical dispersants used to break it up -- have created concerns about the long-term health of the Gulf.

CNN: No signs of 'dead zone' in Gulf, feds say

The former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Zaki Yamani thinks it could even contribute to the break-up of Opec.

BBC: Opec ponders Iraq's vacant seat

The tepid supply forecasts for non-OPEC oil producers in 2013 are not strong enough to represent any break in the fundamentals that would be unmanageable for OPEC to chip in and cover.

FORBES: Oil Not Going To $50 Any Time Soon

Both involve heating organic materials in a vacuum until they break down into carbon and vapors that can be condensed into a low-grade fuel oil.

FORBES: KissyKat And The Magic Diesel

But it concludes that the oil is continuing to break up and disperse underneath the surface, making the emergency of a major oxygen-poor dead zone unlikely.

CNN: No signs of 'dead zone' in Gulf, feds say

But since the break-up of the Soviet Union, it's been eyeing a potential new source of oil and gas -- the Caspian Sea.

BBC: Oil flows from the Caspian Sea