Pyrolysis oil and other combustible compositions from microbial biomass
AssigneeSolazyme, Inc.
InventorsGraham Ellis, Robert Florence, Adriano Galvez, Tyler Painter, Sonia Sousa
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Abstract
Oleaginous microbial biomass is subjected to pyrolysis to make microbial pyrolysis oil for use as a fuel or is otherwise formed into combustible products for the generation of heat and/or light.
Claims20
A gasification method employing biomass from an oleaginous microbe as a feedstock, wherein said biomass comprises spent microbial biomass, less than about 20% protein by dry cell weight, and about 1-20% lipid by dry cell weight, said method comprising the steps of heating said biomass at a temperature of from about 200 to 1400 degrees C. in an atmosphere containing less than 3% V/V oxygen to produce a gas containing a mixture of hydrocarbons.
(canceled)
A burnable torrefied composition comprising biomass from an oleaginous microbe produced by a method comprising the steps of:
- (1) heating said biomass under substantially oxygen free conditions at a temperature of from about 200° C. to about 280° C.;
- (2) maintaining said heating step for a period of from about 0.25 hours to about 10 hours;
- (3) cooling the heated product;
- and (4) recovering the burnable torrefied composition.
A solid, non-torrefied burnable fuel composition comprising combustible biomass from an oleaginous microbe shaped into a log or pellet suitable for burning in a fireplace, stove, oven, or furnace.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.