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 Researchers Introduce New Innovative Solution to Reduce Risk, Pain during Endoscopy
A group of engineers at a technological company based in Iranian Pardis Technology Park (PTP) has presented a new solution for gastrointestinal endoscopy which as they say is less painful and more effective.
“The product that our team has presented is a CO2 gas blower system that is used in the endoscopic process,” Ali Mohaddes Deylami said in an interview with Iranian media.
“During colonoscopy, to examine the colon, the doctor inserts a tube into the body through the mouth or anus to examine the digestive tract, esophagus or stomach and the intestines,” Deylami added.
“Since our digestive system is intertwined and placed on top of each other, the doctor must inject air into the body in order to see the desired area by opening the wrinkles of the digestive system and for the tube to move inside the body,” he went on to say.
The executive director of the project to develop the new painless product, added that CO2 gas is used instead of air in thier device; because the gas can be absorbed more than 150 times more than air.
He pointed to the reduction in pain and risk during endoscopy as one of the advantages of using CO2 gas in place of air, adding, “Also, reducing the risk of bile duct rupture and air entering the abdominal area is another advantage of this device.”
Iranian Researchers Discover New Solution to Remove Heavy Metals from Oilfields' Wastewater
The researchers at Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) have developed a new method to remove heavy metals from produced wastewater in oilfields with high salt using the Electrocoagulation (EC).
Mahdieh Mehri, an AUT graduate and the executive director of the project entitled "Removal of heavy metals from the produced water in oilfields with high salt using the electrocoagulation method (EC)" told Iranian media that as far as she knows the EC method has not been used in removing heavy metals in wastewater from the oil and gas industry so their project is a brand new start.
According to her, the findings of their research show that using the EC method makes it possible to desalinate the wastewater in oil fields.
She also said that the wastewater produced in oilfields is contaminated with organic pollutants and various heavy metals that can be separated using the EC in an efficient way.
The UAT researcher further said that purified water obtained after desalination can be used for various purposes, such as agricultural irrigation or as firefighting water, adding, "This water can also be injected into wells without causing harm to environment."
Mehri described desalinating the wastewater in oilfields as a complicated process, saying, “This EC method can be used for desalinating water in the oil and gas industry and reusing the huge amount of produced water for useful applications in the industry without polluting the environment. In other words, due to the large amount of produced water, there is no need to transfer desalinated sea water, and after desalination, this obtained water can be used for irrigation usage and other purposes.”
“This project has been implemented using a reactor with a relatively simple design and using available metals such as iron, aluminum, copper and zinc along with aeration using an air compressor,” she said while describing the method's details.
Iran’s Aras Geopark Gains Global Recognition
The addition of Iran’s Aras Geopark to the UNESCO Global Geoparks network has been endorsed, UNESCO’s official website announced.
UNESCO’s Executive Board approved the addition of 18 geoparks from across the world including Iran’s Aras Geopark to the global network earlier this week.
According to Tehran Times, this brings the total number of geoparks to 195 in 48 countries.
Situated in East Azarbaijan province, Aras Geopark covers an area of about 1670 square kilometers, sprawling across the whole Jolfa county.
The topography is generally extremely steep and forms astonishing landscapes so the highest point in the Jolfa region is the Kiyamaki mount with 3347 meters and the lowest points include the Northern boundary and the Aras River valley with 720 to 390 meters.
The property has an appropriate geo-tourism attraction, because of its mountainous landscapes, outcropping of different sedimentary and igneous rocks, diversity in tectonic structures, semi-cold and semi-arid climate, and diverse flora and fauna.
Home-Made Software Prevents Cyber Attack on Iran’s Sensitive Institutions
A knowledge-based company in Iran has succeeded in developing a home-made software which can prevent cyber attacks against the country’s sensitive institutions and organizations.
This knowledge-based company provides consulting services, cyber security software systems and security assessment services. It also gives integrated information and communication technology solutions and security software like penetration testing and security assessment to other companies.
The special security software is used in many institutions or collections that have sensitive and special security information. Considering that each of these software has a special function in the field of network security and each set or device needs its own special security programs, this company offers its services to them in such a vast way.
For instance, network security, information security, infrastructure and application security, blockchain services, advanced security services, etc. are among the activities of the company and are available to the government institutions, organizations, petrochemical research institutes, etc.
‘Pentest’ is one of the main products of the company which has provided cyber security services to different organizations in Iran.
IAU Researchers Develop Physical Rehabilitation Movement Applications
A group of researchers at the Islamic Azad University (IAU)-Najafabad branch have developed applications for physical rehabilitation movements that reduce the need for medical specialists and resolving the need for patients to go to rehabilitation centers.
“Movement rehabilitation applications can reduce costs, increases independent activities in patients, reduce the need for medical specialists and resolve the need for continuous presence of patients in rehabilitation centers,” Mahnaz Maravi Esfahani, head of the research group of "Health Management and Physical Rehabilitation” based at the IAU-Najafabad branch, said in an interview with ANA.
“Mechanical devices, sports applications and movement rehabilitation devices that can be used by the patient without the help of medical staff and also can be employed in different places due to their size and simplicity are favored by many patients,” she added.
“The use of mechanical rehabilitation equipment, sports packages and applications instead of sports programs with high movement diversity, the lack of necessity of a specialist trainer and electrical equipment in physical therapy can facilitate the process of performing complex and repetitive exercises and improve the quality of rehabilitation programs,” the researcher said, adding, “For this purpose, the Health Management and Movement Rehabilitation research group helps the health of patients through the design and manufacture of rehabilitation equipment and movement rehabilitation applications.”
She added that they produce physical movement equipment, for different groups of patients, especially for MS patients.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Smart Bakery Equipment
Technologists at an Iranian knowledge-based company have locally-manufactured advanced bread baking equipment and machinery in the country which has paved the ground for export of the products.
Abulqassem Es'haq Abadi, the managing director of an Iranian knowledge-based company said that they produce different types of smart machines for baking bread and sweets to meet domestic needs.
“Automatic and smart machines for baking all kinds of traditional breads and a fully automatic tunnel traditional bakery machine are the knowledge-based products of this company, which are designed and produced in accordance with environmental standards,” he said after stressing that their products have met Iranian and European CE standards.
“The very low fuel consumption of the ‘portable machine’ which makes it a completely hygienic platform for bread production is because of its good insulation,” he noted
He pointed out that being equipped with electronic temperature and speed control system, and minimizing the required space to install them are among other advantages of this smart equipment.
The director further stated that they are the only company inside Iran that produce such machinery, adding, "Our product has no foreign-made equivalent."
Iranian Company Produces Arch Wires for Orthodontic Treatment
A group of researchers at one of the knowledge-based companies based in Pardis Technology Park has produced orthodontic arch wires using Nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys.
“This company was formed as a research center in the Advanced Phase Transformation Laboratory (APTL) in the Faculty of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Tehran (UT),” Ali Heidarinia, one of the directors of the Iranian knowledge-based company based in the Pardis Technology Park said in an interview with Iranian media.
Pardis Technology Park is affiliated to the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.
He said that their company uses Ni-Ti alloy with Nickel-titanium each 50% to produce the arch wires.
Heidarinia further said that previously orthodontic arch wires were not produced inside the country and they used to be imported from countries such as China, Korea and Germany.
‘The orthodontic arch wires produced in this company is made of a special alloy of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) and has memorable properties, meaning that if they are under pressure they return to their original shape,” the research said.
Knowledge-Based Companies in Iran Moving towards Designing, Producing Computer Servers
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran presented their latest achievements in designing, manufacturing and developing hardware and software of computer servers.
Iranian Vice-President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Rouhollah Dehqani and Secretary of the Headquarters for Digital Economy and Intelligent Technologies Hossein Mollazadeh visited the capabilities of the knowledge-based ‘Bayan Rayan’ company in the field of designing, making and developing computer servers.
The Iranian knowledge-based company has been able to make progress along with the technology used in the well-known and powerful brands in the world, which produce servers, in the direction of designing certain electronic boards, mechanical parts and body of computer servers.
The parts used in the servers manufactured by the knowledge-based company use the best and highest quality raw materials in the world.
Iranian Researchers Increase Accuracy, Speed of Oil Exploration by Producing Wireless Geophones
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company increased the speed and accuracy of oil discoveries and exploration and reduced costs by producing wireless geophones.
Abdol Majid Assadi, the managing director of the knowledge-based ‘Aab (Water), Energy, Palayesh (Refinement)’ company, elaborated on the product's advantages in an interview with ANA.
“Our company operates in the field of producing wireless geophones which are used in oil exploration activities,” he added.
Assadi noted that oil companies should use a unique device during exploration to be able to detect the underground layers and therefore they need a number of geophones which are connected to cables, and due to the length and size of the cables, road construction should be carried out and vehicles should be used that is expensive.
“We have been able to design wireless geophones and monitor the workers remotely by using GPS; therefore, the cost of exploration will decrease and oil exploration will be conducted more accurately and quickly,” he said.
Knowledge-Based Company Meets 10% of Iran’s Power Industry's Overall Need for Protective Relays
Specialists at an Iranian knowledge-based company have met 10% of the needs of power companies for protective relays in Iran.
Mostafa Owji, the managing director of the knowledge-based company “Mehvarazmay-e Fars” said that the manufacturing unit was created with the aim of designing and producing electrical and electronic engineering equipment and has taken an effective step towards the country's self-sufficiency in electricity industry.
He added that their company is one of the leading manufacturers of all types of protection relays, test blocks and alarm systems.
He also said through the efforts of its researchers, the company has successfully produced advanced protection relays for the power grid, and so far more than 4,000 devices of all different types of protection relays have been installed by the company in the country's power grid.
“The company's products have been evaluated by the laboratory of electricity and energy industries and the protection and control unit of Iran’s Power Generation and Distribution Company (Tavanir) based on which our products' performance has been approved,” he added.
Technological Firm in Iran Develops Program to Turn Off Cooling, Heating Systems in Offices Remotely
An Iranian technological company designed a program that allows offices to remotely control cooling and heating systems during peak hours with the help of temperature sensors.
“Our company is active in the field of intelligent lighting systems and management of cooling or heating system to decrease energy consumption by using the Internet of Things,” Arash Mohammadian, the managing director of Pasargad Sabz Energy Industries company stationed at Islamic Azad University’s Qazvin branch, told ANA.
He added that in addition to lighting systems, the company has also made smart cooling and heating systems for offices.
“We have designed a program that can remotely control cooling and heating systems during peak consumption hours in winter or summer with temperature sensors.
For instance, the power department can remotely turn off the heating or cooling system of an office that is left on,” Mohammadian said.
“These smart systems work optimally and based on the peak hours; they are turned on and turned off so that the temperature balance is maintained and the employees are not disturbed,” he added.
AUT Researchers Develop New Aerogel Highly Useful in Different Industries
Researchers at Tehran-based Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) produced graphene aerogels for industrial uses, which according to them, the synthetic material is very light and can be used as a lubricant in cooling down oil equipment.
Graphene aerogels are synthetic materials with low density and high porosity. Its synthesis involves the reducing precursor graphene oxide solution to get graphene hydrogel. Freeze-drying is then used to remove the solvent and to replace it with air.
“Graphene sheets have been used to produce a very light 3D graphene foams, a material that is 99% air and the remaining 1% is made of carbon, which is lighter than the components of air, i.e. oxygen and nitrogen,” Malek Naderi, a professor at the AUT Faculty of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy said about the material.
Emphasizing that the material is lighter than air and is porous, he also said, “These characteristics have led to its different applications in the industry. We have been working on making this material since 2017 and since 2019 its production has reached reproducibility level in our laboratory. With the help of graphene aerogel, we have been able to produce various types of composites for industrial use.”
He furthr pointed to the industrial usages of the product and said, “This material can be used in various industries. We have tested it in different industry. In the mining sector, this material is used as a substitute for carbon black for gold extraction and has successfully passed industrial tests in one of the country's mines. The substance has been industrially examined in making some airplanes parts, in the meantime, positive results have been achieved in the field of absorption of pollutants in the oil sector.”
“We have a contract to use this material in the oil industry, based on which, graphene aerogel is placed on the microbubbles to make them stable. These microbubbles, which have become more stable and have improved thermal conductivity through aerogel, are used in petroleum cooling equipment. In fact, these microbubbles modified with aerogel will play the role of lubricant and cooling meterial in oil extraction equipment,” the AUT professor further explained about the application of the aerogel.
Knowledge-Based Firms Unveil New Products at "Iran Health" Exhibition
Four Iranian knowledge-based companies unveiled their new products at "Iran Health" exhibition.
The pavilion of knowledge-based companies at the 24th international exhibition "Iran Health" held by Iranian Innovation and Prosperity Fund witnessed the presence of 24 knowledge-based companies. The companies presented their capabilities and achievements in the fields of medicine, dentistry, laboratory equipment and medicine.
UV spectrophotometry was the first product unveiled by the knowledge-based companies. The product is one of the most broadly used devices in most of the laboratories which identify and measure organic and inorganic compounds. UV spectrophotometry is a useful device with wide range of usage in various fields, including food, pharmaceutical, petrochemical products, dyes, essential oils, protein and nucleic acids, and agricultural samples.
ROBOX or doctor assistant robots was the second product unveiled in the event. ROBOX is used in performing therapeutic operations based on applying energy to the body surface. Applied energy source can be laser, plasma, and RF in contact and non-contact modes. The idea of building the Robox platform was initially proposed due to the potential and need of the modern medical community for operational accuracy, increased speed and clinical efficiency.
Iranian Company Produces Sanitizing Gel to Remove Different Stains on Hands
A technological company in Yazd has produced a hand washing gel to get stains off hands and clean them without the need for water.
Iman Baqaeinia, the managing director of the technology company “Abadis Shimi Kavir Yazd”, who had attended Asr-e Omid Exhibition in Sirjan city with the product " Hand Cleaning Gel", said in an interview with ANA News Agency that their company operates in the fields of reverse engineering and manufacturing formulations in the field of chemicals, including detergents, cosmetics and health, agriculture, textile industry etc.
Asr-e Omid (Age of Hope) exhibition is being held on the campus of Islamic Azad University-Sirjan branch in the city of Sirjan located in the Southeastern Kerman Province on May 22-June 1,
“We have five years of experience, and since the beginning of this year, we entered the Growth Center of Islamic Azad University- Yazd branch, and now we are in the stage of becoming a knowledge based company,” he explained.
He also said that they reverse-engineered the hand cleaning gel and have supplied it to the manufacturers and industrial units.
“This product removes grease, oil, fat, paint and resin from hands of mechanics, repairmen and those who work with these materials inside the mine and do not have access to water,” Baqaeinia said about the applications of the gel.
The Abadis director further said that product is made from natural materials, adding, “This product is used similar to a cream and is rubbed on the hands. It gets off all stains even though they are in the deep cracks on hand and can be easily removed from the hands with a clean piece of cloth or water or if there is no water, with a piece of tissue.”
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