Subject: info pls:OIL TREES
From: [email-masked] (E Vogel)
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 94 09:43:00 -0400
Newsgroups: bionet.plants

Hello...

   This is a challenge to Science Trivia buffs in Cyberspace:

   Does anyone know about any recent developments in the "Oil Tree" story?

   I just finished watching the Smithsonian's "Invention" video series.
      One inventor was trying to develop commercial farming of a
      "Chinese Tawa (..or Towa) Tree"  --- this tree's seeds have
      highly combustible fuel oil. A famous Weston, Conn. inventor,
      Stan Mason, was shown lighting up a seed which soon burst into
      two stages of flame --- lo, then high energy.

   Stan Mason stated that the tree was fast-growing, reaching production
      age at about two years. He said that an acre would produce 16 tons
      of seeds, and that he wanted to extract oil. Mason already had
      several inventions under his belt, including "disposable diapers,"
      earning him the nickname "Wizard of Weston."

   Does anyone know if this tree has been looked into by Aid agencies
      in developing countries? Perhaps it could be an immediate substitute
      for cooking fuel, direct from the tree. The demonstration on the
      video was extremely impressive. The 2-year old trees were about
      quite tall, too.

   Please advise if you have recent information. If the tree has potential
      for real-world application, I would like to forward it to Aid
      organizations. The potential for reducing firewood cutting exists.

   Unfortunately, this tree is not well known. I had a conversation with
      an organizer of community development (just came back from
      planting trees in Asia) and she says, "..never heard of it."

   Is this a ...

   Breakthru Solution for Global De-forestation?

   Thanks in advance for any help in this regard.

   Regards thru the wires,

   Jan Steele,

   (Essence: Harbouring deep concern about our environment...
     ...whales...clean blue skies...silent walks...my personal space...)

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