Top News of Last Week with ANA

Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows: 

Iranian Petrochemical Firm Installing Hundreds of Home-Made Burners

Iran’s Marjan petrochemical company which produces methanol is replacing hundreds of its old burners with the new indigenized ones developed by the country’s researchers.

“Given the importance of providing heat and accurate control of heat in different parts of reactors, burners are one of the main tools in advancing the goals of petrochemical units,” said Alireza Jalali, a faculty member of the Mechanical Engineering department of the University of Tehran and the manager of the project.

“At present, the process of replacing 576 burners in Marjan petrochemical company’s primary methanol reformer furnaces is underway so that the unit will be able to achieve the maximum exploitation rate and the minimum consumption of natural gas,” he added.

Jalali explained that in the second phase of the project, a new burner model with a modern design has been indigenized in which the combustion mechanism is completely different from the original design, adding that burning the excess gases in the process with high efficiency and minimal increase of pressure in the fuel line will be possible.

Iran-Made Medicine Reduces Side Effects of Coronavirus

Researchers at a knowledge-based company stationed at Pardis Technology Park produced and internationally patented a drug which decreases the side effects of coronavirus.

“Salira Vira drug was patented inside Iran last year and the internal license for its use was also obtained. For this purpose, pre-clinical and clinical trials were carried out and before that, the code of ethics and clinical trial license were obtained from the Iran University of Medical Sciences, which is a branch of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Iran,” said Reza Ramezani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.

“For the international patenting of the medicine, we inked a contract with a reputable company in Europe to defend us legally and then, we gathered all our documents and delivered it to the foreign firm and finally our product was patented,” he added.

Smart Nano-Based Air Purification, Disinfection Device Indigenized in Iran

A knowledge-based company in Iran stationed at the Science and Technology Park of University of Tehran designed and produced a smart air purification and disinfection device.

Several technologies have been combined and applied in the home-made smart air purification and disinfection  device in a way that the nano-based and photocatalytic system is placed beside the green plasma to help purify the air better and with greater synergy.

The Iran-made air purifier has a primary pre-filter system, a protective filter in which silver nanoparticles and micro-titanium are used, and the next filter is made of active nanocarbon.

The device enjoys the capability to analyze temperature, humidity percentage, amount of pollutant gases, air quality index and gas leakage with 5 environmental sensors, and displays them on its screen.

Iran Holds 18th Int'l Water, Wastewater Exhibition (video)

A total of 164 Iranian and foreign companies took advantage of the 18th edition of Iran Water and Wastewater Exhibition dubbed as WATEX 2022 to showcase their products and achievements. The event kicked off on December 30, 2022 and came to an end on January 02, 2023 at the venue of Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.

Iran Equips Gas Pressure Reduction Station, Dams with Home-Made Accelerometers

A knowledge-based company in Iran designed and manufactured accelerometer devices which were previously imported from abroad, putting Iran in the fifth global rank among countries which possess the technology.

“These sensors, which are used to monitor the acceleration of earthquakes, were purchased from the US, Canada, Britain and Switzerland in the past, and we were able to produce it and put our country in the fifth place among countries possessing the technology,” said Ali Seyfpour, the managing-director of the knowledge-based company.

He added that the sensor is able to measure the vibrations caused by earthquakes with high accuracy.

“These sensors are used in different areas from buildings for retrofitting and monitoring the strength of the structure to assessment of the activity of faults and prediction of earthquakes. Generally, using these accelerometers can improve the lifespan of the country's constructions and structures and reduce the risks caused by earthquakes,” Seifpour said.

Iran Maintains Position as 10th Biggest Producer of Steel in World

Iran's steel mills produced a total of 27.9 million tons of crude steel in the first 11 months of 2022, keeping its global position as the 10th biggest producer of steel in the world.

According to the latest data released by the World Steel Association (WSA), Iran's steel production registered an 8.5% rise compared in this period to the same period in 2021.

The country’s November output hit 2.9 million tons, registering a 3.9% year-on-year rise.

In terms of world ranking, Iran maintained its global standing as the world’s 10th biggest crude steelmaker.

Iranian Technological Firm Manufactures 45 Types of Machinery for Food Industry

A technological company stationed at Isfahan Science and Research Town in Central Iran succeeded in manufacturing 45 types of machinery and equipment needed in food industry.

“Fruit and vegetable washers, vegetable shredders, grinders, packaging and filling machines, as well as slicer devices are five categories of equipment produced by the company,” said Javad Nikoukar, the managing-director of Nahamin Sana’at Kahandj company.

“Fruit and vegetable washers produced by the company make washing faster and reduce water consumption, and vegetable shredders complete the fruit and vegetable washing line,” he said.

Nikoukar noted that various grinding machines from home to industrial scale are produced in the company, designed completely based on the needs of customers, and in addition to high grinding power, the size of the powder of the final product can be chosen.

Technological Company in Iran Uses Citrus Peels to Create Antibacterial Properties in Textiles

A group of researchers at a technological company in Iran produced special substances by using a green method, citrus peels, to create antibacterial properties in textiles.

“We started to produce nanoparticles that, in addition to being compatible with the environment, minimize the level of sensitivity, toxicity, and irritation,” said Amir Hossein Bakhtiari, the managing director of the company.

He explained that to make a nano-based product, the manufacturers used to impregnate the outer surface of the product with nanomaterials and after some time it will be separated from the surface due to contact with the surrounding environment, adding, “What we did is that we used the nanomaterials inside the fabric, and therefore, we no longer have the problem of nanomaterials’ disappearance.”

“This strategy will increase the longevity of the properties of nanomaterials in fabric,” Bakhtiari said.

Extreme Weather in 2022 Showed Global Impact of Climate Change

Climate change amped up weather extremes around the globe, smashing temperature records, sinking river levels to historic lows and raising rainfall to devastating highs.

Droughts set the stage for wildfires and worsened food insecurity. Researchers found themselves pondering the limits of humans’ ability to tolerate extreme heat, the Sciencenews reported.

The extreme events from 2022 are just a sample of the climate disasters. Each was exacerbated by human-caused climate change or is in line with projections of regional impacts.

In its Sixth Assessment Report, released in 2021 and 2022, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, warned that humans are dramatically overhauling Earth’s climate.

First Hybrid Mill Made by Iranian Academics Commercialized

Iranian researchers at University of Tehran in cooperation with Technical and Vocational University in Tehran and Materials and Energy Research Institute succeeded in making and commercializing the first hybrid mill.

“This device has been proposed to be used in the field of nanotechnology and is an easy, simple and affordable method for producing nanopowders and cold coatings on metal substrates,” said Mohammad Mohammadi Massoudi, a faculty member of the Science and Technology department and the director of the Nanobiophotonics Research Laboratory of University of Tehran.

“Preparation of nanopowder with appropriate size distribution and at the same time with high efficiency and maintaining the desired properties has always been a concern for researchers. This device simultaneously uses the force of the bullet and ultrasonic to prepare nanopowder with different ceramic and metal compounds while maintaining the properties,” he added.

Good Hydration Linked to Healthy Aging

Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a National Institutes of Health study.

Using health data gathered from 11,255 adults over a 30-year period, researchers analyzed links between serum sodium levels -- which go up when fluid intake goes down -- and various indicators of health. They found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological aging than those with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges. Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die at a younger age, the eBioMedicine reported.

"The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life," said Natalia Dmitrieva, Ph.D., a study author and researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.

Iran Produces High-Precision Imaging Device with Medical, Industrial Applications

A group of engineers from a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in designing and developing a single photon detector for high-precision imaging with application in medical and industrial fields.

The knowledge-based company which is stationed at the incubator center of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran produced the single-photon detector based on semiconductor avalanche photodiodes (APD).

Shahab Karimi, the executive director of the company, described the single photon detector as one of the latest products of the company, saying, “This device can detect single photons with high accuracy for the users, and this capability has various applications, including quantum physics, lidar (laser imaging, detection, and ranging), quantum imaging, and quantum spectroscopies.

He underlined that the device is used in research, medical and military areas, adding, “It is capable of imaging with ultrahigh accuracy.”

Iran to Present Effervescent Herbal Teas to Market

A group of Iranian researchers at a technological company stationed at the Science and Technology Park of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad achieved the formulation of effervescent medicinal plant products.

“Our research focuses on the production of herbal medicinal products and we have formulated herbal medicinal products in the form of effervescent granules,” said Fatemeh Hamedi, the project manager and managing director of the technological company.

“These products are effervescent and they can be dissolved in boiling water or cold water like effervescent tablets,” she added.

Hamedi explained that herbal compounds and hydrocolloids are used in formulation of these products, noting that the herbal tablets dissolve in cold or boiling water within one minute, and the customer ends up with a pleasant drink.

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