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' ,~ ~:~ i~ ~, ~ ~ii ii~i~ ~i~! i!i: i~i~ ~i~!: ~!i~i I~ i~:ii !~:i i i!~: ~:~ i~/I~ !~il !!:~ i~i ~:~i~i~ ~i~ ~ i~ i ~i~!~i~!~ i::!i~ ~i~ii~! ~i~i~ ~ ~i~ ~ ~ i~: ~ ~~ ~i~ ~?i ~, ~ Collagen research The value of collagen sheet - made from membranous animal tissue obtained at slaughter- houses - as a dressing material for wounds, especially burns, is recognised in a recent research initiative in India. The leather research institute CLRI has called for pan-India efforts to developed commercial production of collagen sheet. According to CLRI, commercial manufacture will mean changes in the traditional ways that hides are treated, and biotechnology processes may be required. The traditional leather pickling process may need to be eliminated, and chrome and vegetable tanning methods might need replacing with biotechnological methods. Electrical aid to water purification Zeotek LRC Corp, Osaka, Japan, has developed a device to facilitate removal of oil from water using an electrical charge. Application of a charge to oil- in-water emulsions and suspensions makes the oil droplets coalesce and collect on the surface for easy removal. The device can process 80 l/hr of contaminated water to a residual oil content of less than 1%, and the company says that applications include contaminated water generated in metal processing and cutting, machinery and electronics parts fabrication. With the mounting industrial need for wastewater treatment in Japan, the company plans to begin selling the system in June. Unexpected exchange! Memcare Corporation, Ottawa, Canada, which signed a letter of intent in July to supply RO based water purification systems to the city of Chernovtsi, Ukraine has been offered reindeer antlers, among other things, as payment. The Soviet Union's lack of foreign exchange has led to a counter-trade offer, which also includes marble and industrial alcohol. Memcare president, Orest Nowakiwsky has said, "This indicates the complexity of doing business with the Soviet Union." It is understood that the Ukraine project, worth $3 million, would set up 30 regional centres for the purchase of water for cooking and drinking. Currently, municipal water treatment in the Ukraine consists of gravel and sand filtration, only removing visible impurities. The ICI analytical package for chlor-alkali. Chlor-alkali analysis package An analytical package, developed specifically for the safe and efficient operation of chlor-alkali plants to the stringent standards required in membrane cell technology, is now available from ICI. The package consists of analytical methods and instruments which can be used to determine critical process control criteria, including tests on raw salt, feed brine to and from the cell-room, as well as on acids and effluents. Comprehensive manuals also cover other plant process streams which require routine analysis. Memtek acquisition Memtek Corporation, Billerica, Massachusetts, has announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Horsehead Resource Development Co Inc, Palmerton, Pennsylvania, for the acquisition by HRD of all Memtek shares. It is understood the transaction will be for cash, with Memtek stockholders receiving up to $1.5 million. In a joint statement, James H Davies, president of HRD, and Robert Birch, president of Memtek, said Membrane Technology 3
