Full of hot air

I've been watching some of the Democratic (Presidential hopeful) debates and I wonder about the comments made, regarding "getting serious about bio fuels". Think that bio fuels are the answer to peak oil? Perhaps one day, we'll be using corn or soybeans to fuel the world's need to go zoom.... Recently it was proven that a passenger jet airliner can run on bio fuel and certainly the family car can... but what will it take and what are the consequences?
At first glance palm oil looks like a quick growing crop. Almost 25% of Borneo's rain forest has been cut to develop this crop source.... to the dismay of the endangered orangutan. The problem is, a single tonne of refined palm oil generates 33 tonnes of carbon emissions. (ten times more than petroleum) How about soy? The biggest soy producer is in South America...200,000 square miles, (once rain forest), in southern Brazil, northern Argentina, parts of Paraguay and Bolivia have been dedicated for the task. This area is known locally as "the Republic of Soy".
In reality, it would take twice the total existing farmland on earth just to supply 10% of the worlds current fuel needs using soy! Rapeseed, canola, or corn.... not much better. Dedicating farmland to fuel crops, (now producing food), may not be a wise decision based on the world's population growth rate... perhaps 10 billion in 40 years (or less).
So, back the the drawing board.... could it be that the answer is so simple that it's right under our nose... or maybe in it? Maybe it's our own polluted air that can run our cars. Are air powered cars right around the corner?
You can bet, not if Exxon or BP have their way!