oil sans cholesterol: A Chinese farmer has developed a technique that can help produce cholesterol-free edible oil from tea seeds. Fang Shunzhong of the Jinhua city, said that 14 kilogramme (kg) of high-quality oil of a transparent yellow colour can be produced out of 100 kg of tea seeds. At present, China-based Lansiang Green Food Co. Ltd, is the only company to use the technique for producing the oil. The oil will cost US $10 per kg. The China quality supervision and inspection centre says that the various indices of Fang's tea oil exceed those of the national first-degree edible oil standards.
water from air: Watermaster technologies, a Wellington-based company, has developed a process to produce clean drinking water out of thin air. Company officials said its airwell 2000 technology could alleviate drinking water shortages anywhere in the world. The method can help produce 20 litres of clean drinking water every day simply by taking in the surrounding air, claimed the company while launching the product. Watermaster has developed the technique with the help of Canterbury University. The airwell 2000 technology is cheaper, which can operate in any humidity range. In a three-stage process, the machine takes in air, extracts water from it then purifies it by passing it through an electrical filter and a charcoal filter.
'green' tech: The Jamshedpur-based National Metallurgical Laboratory has designed eco-friendly melting furnaces that can turn the large number of foundries in and around Agra into less-polluting units. The system can also be replicated elsewhere in the country where clusters of foundries operate, according to company officials. The Taj Mahal in Agra is losing its white colour due to increasing pollution in the area.
eco-friendly move: Ribena Amla, the vitamin C-rich health drink from SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) has announced a partnership to create awareness about the environment among school children. The two organisations have planned to organise a nature spellathon. The contest will encourage participating students to learn new words and facts related to the environment. The money collected from this event will be utilised by the WWF for the further causes related to endangered species, preservation of forests and other ecological issues.
mega plan ahead: American Home Products has announced its merger with the US life sciences giant Monsanto in the biggest corporate alliance in pharmaceutical industry history. Monsanto has been expanding rapidly from agro-chemicals into genetically-altered agricultural products. The plan that is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, would create a company with a market value of US $96 billion.
low on pollution: Total, the French oil company, has decided to launch its new 'Super Premier Ecologica" petrol (gasoline) in Spain. The new petrol brand can be used by older vehicles that until now have been using leaded petrol. The company claims that the fuel will also significantly lengthen the life and improve the efficiency of exhaust catalysts fitted to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Results published by the company show that the new lead-free fuel lowers benzene content by a factor of five and sulphur by more than two-thirds, thus meeting the Spanish norms.
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