1. A method of converting biomass from an oleaginous microbe to a torrefied composition comprising the steps of: (1) heating said biomass under substantially oxygen free conditions at a temperature of from about 200\xb0 C. to about 300\xb0 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 (5) recovering the torrefied composition, 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.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass makes up by weight from about 5% to about 100% of said composition.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises including a non-microbial cellulosic or lignocellulosic material in said composition.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass comprises less than about 10% protein by dry cell weight and about 1-10% lipid by dry cell weight.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said biomass comprises less than about 10% protein by dry cell weight and about 1-5% lipid by dry cell weight.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass was obtained from an oleaginous microbe cultured under heterotrophic conditions.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the biomass is selected from microalgal biomass and oleaginous yeast biomass.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass is milled or processed to generate particles of a between about 1 mm and about 50 mm.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass is derived from a microalgae selected from the group consisting of Achnanthes orientalis, Agmenellum, Amphiprora hyaline, Amphora coffeiformis, Amphora coffeiformis linea, Amphora coffeiformis punctata, Amphora coffeiformis taylori, Amphora coffeiformis tenuis, Amphora delicatissima, Amphora delicatissima capitata, Amphora sp., Anabaena, Ankistrodesmus, Ankistrodesmus falcatus, Boekelovia hooglandii, Borodinella sp., Botryococcus braunii, Botryococcus sudeticus, Carteria, Chaetoceros gracilis, Chaetoceros muelleri, Chaetoceros muelleri subsalsum, Chaetoceros sp., Chlorella anitrata, Chlorella Antarctica, Chlorella aureoviridis, Chlorella candida, Chlorella capsulate, Chlorella desiccate, Chlorella ellipsoidea, Chlorella emersonii, Chlorella fusca, Chlorella fusca var. vacuolata, Chlorella glucotropha, Chlorella infusionum, Chlorella infusionum var. actophila, Chlorella infusionum var. auxenophila, Chlorella kessleri, Chlorella lobophora (strain SAG 37.88), Chlorella luteoviridis, Chlorella luteoviridis var. aureoviridis, Chlorella luteoviridis var. lutescens, Chlorella miniata, Chlorella minutissima, Chlorella mutabilis, Chlorella nocturna, Chlorella parva, Chlorella photophila, Chlorella pringsheimii, Chlorella protothecoides (including any of UTEX strains 1806, 411, 264, 256, 255, 250, 249, 31, 29, 25, and CCAP strains 21117 and 2118d), Chlorella protothecoides var. acidicola, Chlorella regularis, Chlorella regularis var. minima, Chlorella regularis var. umbricata, Chlorella reisiglii, Chlorella saccharophila, Chlorella saccharophila var. ellipsoidea, Chlorella salina, Chlorella simplex, Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella sp., Chlorella sphaerica, Chlorella stigmatophora, Chlorella vanniellii, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella vulgaris f. tertia, Chlorella vulgaris var. autotrophica, Chlorella vulgaris var. viridis, Chlorella vulgaris var. vulgaris, Chlorella vulgaris var. vulgaris f. tertia, Chlorella vulgaris var. vulgaris f. viridis, Chlorella xanthella, Chlorella zofingiensis, Chlorella trebouxioides, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorococcum infusionum, Chlorococcum sp., Chlorogonium, Chroomonas sp., Chrysosphaera sp., Cricosphaera sp., Cryptomonas sp., Cyclotella cryptica, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Cyclotella sp., Dunaliella sp., Dunaliella bardawil, Dunaliella bioculata, Dunaliella granulate, Dunaliella maritime, Dunaliella minuta, Dunaliella parva, Dunaliella peircei, Dunaliella primolecta, Dunaliella salina, Dunaliella terricola, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Dunaliella viridis, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Eremosphaera viridis, Eremosphaera sp., Ellipsoidon sp., Euglena, Franceia sp., Fragilaria crotonensis, Fragilaria sp., Gleocapsa sp., Gloeothamnion sp., Hymenomonas sp., Isochrysis aff galbana, Isochrysis galbana, Lepocinclis, Micractinium, Micractinium (UTEX LB 2614), Monoraphidium minutum, Monoraphidium sp., Nannochloris sp., Nannochloropsis salina, Nannochloropsis sp., Navicula acceptata, Navicula biskanterae, Navicula pseudotenelloides, Navicula pelliculosa, Navicula saprophila, Navicula sp., Nephrochloris sp., Nephroselmis sp., Nitschia communis, Nitzschia alexandrine, Nitzschia communis, Nitzschia dissipata, Nitzschia frustulum, Nitzschia hantzschiana, Nitzschia inconspicua, Nitzschia intermedia, Nitzschia microcephala, Nitzschia pusilla, Nitzschia pusilla elliptica, Nitzschia pusilla monoensis, Nitzschia quadrangular, Nitzschia sp., Ochromonas sp., Oocystis parva, Oocystis pusilla, Oocystis sp., Oscillatoria limnetica, Oscillatoria sp., Oscillatoria subbrevis, Pascheria acidophila, Pavlova sp., Phagus, Phormidium, Platymonas sp., Pleurochrysis carterae, Pleurochrysis dentate, Pleurochrysis sp., Prototheca wickerhamii, Prototheca stagnora, Prototheca portoricensis, Prototheca moriformis, Prototheca zopfii, Pyramimonas sp., Pyrobotrys, Sarcinoid chrysophyte, Scenedesmus armatus, Spirogyra, Spirulina platensis, Stichococcus sp., Synechococcus sp., Tetraedron, Tetraselmis sp., Tetraselmis suecica, Thalassiosira weissflogii, and Viridiella fridericiana.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass is derived from a microalgae of a genus selected from the group consisting of Chlorella, Parachlorella, and Prototheca.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass is derived from an oleaginous microbe genetically engineered to express one of more exogenous genes.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said biomass is derived from an oleaginous microbe genetically engineered to express one of more exogenous genes, said microbe producing lipid, wherein the proportions of fatty acids of the lipid are altered relative to that in the lipid produced by an oleaginous microbe lacking said one or more exogenous genes.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises including soybean hulls in said composition.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for detecting slubs in a running thread or bundle of fibers, said apparatus comprising a forked guiding member fixed at one end thereof, which forked guiding member can be deflected from a starting position in a running direction of the thread or bundle of fibers and can be returned to the starting position by spring force, said forked guiding member comprising a gap of adjustable width through which the thread or bundle of fibers run, said forked guiding member being connected with a movement detector, wherein the forked guiding member is attached to an axis of rotation, and a portion of the forked guiding member farthest from the axis of rotation diverges from a line perpendicular to the axis of rotation.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein on a side of the axis of rotation opposite that to which the guiding member is attached, a lever arm is mounted, which lever arm is connected to a helical spring and serves as a signal arm.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the helical spring has a restoring force that is adjustable.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starting position of the forked guiding member is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane containing the axis of rotation.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forked guiding member comprises two pins defining the gap.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the components providing for the deflection of the guiding member are enclosed.
7. A method of detecting slubs in a running thread or bundle of fibers, said method comprising the following steps:
a) providing an apparatus according to claim 1;
b) running said thread or bundle of fibers through said gap; and
c) detecting a deflection of said forked guiding member from said starting position through said movement detector to give a detection of said slubs.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in said apparatus on a side of the axis of rotation opposite that to which the guiding member is attached, a lever arm is mounted, which lever arm is connected to a helical spring and serves as a signal arm.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein in said apparatus the helical spring has a restoring force that is adjustable.
10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in said apparatus the starting position of the forked guiding member is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane containing the axis of rotation.
11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in said apparatus the forked guiding member comprises two pins defining the gap.
12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in said apparatus the components providing for the deflection of the guiding member are enclosed.