SAFE REACTORS: A
new model of safer
reactors is coming
up, announced Framatome of France
and Siemens of
Germany. The 2
nuclear power reactor suppliers have
joined hands to
desigrethe new and
improved European Pressurised
Water Reactor (EPR) for export and
home markets. They have floated a
joint venture, Nuclear, Power
International, which should be able
to produce cost estimates and safety
specifications for the EPR by mid1997. The 14,000 row reactor would
not cost more than the existing ones.
And it is likely to have good export
prospects in the emerging Asian
market, believes Jean-Claude Leny,
president, Framatome.
CYBER MEDIA: The International
Business Machines Corp (IBM) is
planning to flash its new annual
report into cyberspace, using both
the Internet and the CD-ROM as its
via-media. Internet will provide the
very latest assessments to the stockholders, while the CD-ROM will feature about 15 minutes of digitalised
video, including an interview with
Louis V Gerstner Jr, Chairman, IBM.
The company hopes that its efforts to
put its best foot forward will convince the clients that it is serious
about promoting new technology.
GREEN BATTLE: The war between
Greenpeace International, the environmental activist group and forest
products giant, Macmillan Bloedel
Ltd, is hotting up. Greenpeace has
accused the company of gross environmental law violations, alleging
that it has found evidence of at least
86 such offences committed by it.
The Macmillan authorities have
retorted angrily, accusing the environmentalists of "smear tactics".
According to their annual re ort, in
the last 25 years it has been involved
in only 15 such cases.
SLUG BUGGING: Sanyo Electronics is
putting slugs into their computers.
In a novel bid to apply biotechnology
to electronics the company is integrating the data processing ability of
the slugs in computers. These are
first given a swig of their favourite
carrot juice and then a dose of bitter
tasting quinine sulphate. After a
while the slimy creatures try to avoid
the juice knowing it will be followed
by the bitter chemical. The Sanyo
Laboratory is now creating mathematical equations based on the
changes in frequency at which electrons in the slugs' brain oscillated
during the learning process.
TRASH CASH: "Cash from trash" could
be the latest statement from the
house of Tatas. Tata Chemicals is an
set to make a profit by recovering
valuable chemicals from effluents
discharged at its various plants.
The chemicals include magnesium, soda ash and calcium carbonate. Magnesium will be used to make
refractory bricks which are used in
fur6ces. It will be extracted from the
by-product that one derives in the
prepgration of gypsum. Soda ash
recovered from solid waste will
go into the preparation of cement,
and calcium carbonate will find its
use in toothpastes. All these programmes would be implemented
from June 1995.
VITAL ACID: India's largest exporter of
menthol and mentha products,
Jindal Drugs Limited, is setting up a
plant for vitamin-C or ascorbic acid
production.
The plant, expected t produce 2,000
tonnes per annum. of
vitamin-C, would be
LEI located in Taloja,
Bombay. Italy's Radici Group will
provide technical and financial support to the project.
The company has signed MoUs
with several companies abroad.
Indian companies like Glaxo, Godrej
Foods, Sandoz and Roche Products
have shown interest in this venture.
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