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 Knowledge-Based Firm Facilitates Storage of Agricultural Water with Nano Insulators
The Iran-made antibacterial nanogeomembranes were presented to the market to enable the easy storage of agricultural water in the rainy season and its use in the low rainfall seasons in drip and traditional irrigation systems.
The product was manufactured by a knowledge-based Iranian company, supported by the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, by using silver nanoparticles.
It has various applications, including, creating fish and aquatic breeding ponds, creating ponds and reservoirs for raising poultry, watershed projects, dams and water containment and covering water transfer channels. Other uses of this product include storage of agricultural water in the rainy season and its use in the low water season in drip and traditional irrigation systems, creating a water park for water sports and recreation like swimming, sailing, water skiing and controlling the industrial effluents and sewage in order to prevent contamination of underground aquifers and soil.
The product also enjoys very high resistance to tearing, extraordinary resistance to infiltration and leakage of water, steam, moisture, is a serious obstacle to the penetration of ground salinity into the water tank, enjoys very high flexibility to cover angles, corners, arches and uneven natural surfaces at the site of implementation, has no rotting and fragility due to high thermal resistance and frost resistance while maintaining quality, and enjoys resistance to fire and self-extinguishing and complete resistance in acidic and alkaline environments.
Iranian Firm Manufactures Bioluminescent Light Device for Laparoscopic Surgeries
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company located in Isfahan Science and Research Township produced a cold light or bioluminescent light device for performing laparoscopic surgeries without hurting the patient.
Mohammad Bakhshian, a member of the research team of th knowledge-based company told Iranian media that their company was founded in Isfahan Science and Research Township in 2018.
“Among the products of this knowledge-based company is the production of bioluminescent light device, which is one of the laparoscopic devices,” he said.
The best explanation for production of cold light is that the light is transported by bundles of glass fibres and guided to the object in the form of concentrated cold light, virtually free of heat-bearing infrared wavelengths.
He considered the bioluminescent light device as a tool designed to improve observation by transillumination in laparoscopic surgery. It can be introduced into the abdomen through a port as a supplementary light source, he added.
“When the surgeon wants to perform surgery, the inner part of the body is dark, but by using the device, the surgeon will be able to shed light on the area of the surgury,” Bakhshian explained more.
“Unfortunately the device is still imported, but our product can compete with foreign-made equivalents. The medical centers that have used our product have expressed their approval of the device to us” he added.
He said that the imported bioluminescent light devices are really expensive as compared to the domestically-made products.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Kits to Swiftly Detect 3 Diseases in Dogs, Cats
A group of researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company has successfully acquired the know-how to produce diagnostic kits for three types of dangerous diseases in dogs and cats.
“This holding is operating in selling laboratory equipment and kits in the field of blood coagulation,” Mohammad Ahsani Iravani, the sales manager of a knowledge-based holding in Iran told Iranian media in an interview.
“Meanwhile, the holding has also started operation in producing equipment needed by pharmaceutical companies inside the country,” he added.
Saying that the knowledge-based section of the holding has started its research in the field of producing various test kits for rapid diagnosis of human and animal diseases, Ahsani added, “The kits produced by this knowledge-based company include rapid test kits for detecting Covid-19, cardiac troponin rapid detection kit, illegal drug rapid detection kits including amphetamine, methamphetamine and morphine.”
He said that their company produces single strip and triple strip test kits, adding, “Pregnancy detection strips are another product of the company.”
Iranian Firm Makes Energy-Efficient Low-E Glass
An Iranian company has managed to produce low-E or low-emissivity glass which saves energy to a high extent.
‘Kaveh Glass Industry Group’ has produced the low-E glass which is a type of energy-efficient glass designed to prevent heat loss through the windows and minimize the amount of infrared and ultraviolet light passing through.
Low-E glasses are essentially standard clear ones with a transparent thin coating on their surface, promoting the heat reflection compared to their ordinary counterparts. This kind of glass transfers a much lower heat compared to the ordinary ones and performs like a transparent thermal insulator without minimizing the amount of incident light.
The significant feature of the glass is visible light transmittance (VLT) and reflectance (VLR).
By using nanotechnology in low-E glass fabrication techniques, this product benefits from higher heat insulation up to three times than the standard double glazing, leading to reduction in energy consumption, environmental protection, and prevention of fog formation in winter.
It also blocks the direct solar heating at least two times better than the standard double glazing, providing thermal comfort and considerably reducing the running cost of air conditioners in summer.
Iranian Researchers Develop New Technique to Repair Gas Pipelines Using Composite Wraps
Researchers at a technological company in Iran use composite wraps to repair gas pipelines without need to cut off the gas flow.
"There is corrosion in some parts of the gas transmission pipelines. Sometimes, corrosion level in pipelines increases to 80%,” Ali Heydari Moghaddam, a professor at Islamic Azad University's Dezful branch who had taken part at the Asr-e Omid Sirjan exhibition with the product ‘Repair of gas pipelines using polymer composites’ told ANA News Agency correspondent on the sidelines of the event.
“Wrapping the damaged site using composite wraps would increase the strength of the pipe and make the progress of corrosion stop, so that the probability of the pipe bursting from the corroded location would be brought down to zero,” he added.
“Many gas and oil pipelines could face corrosion, meaning that the metal starts to dissolve in the environment where it is located and reduces the thickness of the pipe,” he added, while stressing that using their technique, there would be no need to cut off the gas flow.
“Previously when the gas pipe was corroded, to repair the corrosion location on the pipeline, the gas in the entire area needed to be cut off, and the corroded part must be cut and repaired and replaced. There used to a lot of risks and wastes. But in the polymer composites wraps method, we repair the pipelines without interrupting the gas flow,” Heydari Moghaddam further noted.
Iranian Scientists Produce Mineral-Based Fireproof Insulators
Researchers of a knowledge-based firm in Iran succeeded in making fireproof insulators based on minerals that protect human life.
“Fireproof insulation systems are very important to save human lives and the purpose of designing this product was to prevent the growth of fire, save people in accidents, protect structures and equipment and meet the needs of the country's industries,” Seyed Morteza Hosseini, the managing director of the knowledge-based ‘Noavaran Kimia Mehraz’ company stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Bandar Abbas branch, told ANA.
“This product has been tested and approved based on the international standards. Our knowledge-based company has used environmentally-friendly minerals and it is the most important competitive advantage of this product compared to the foreign samples,” he added.
Hosseini stated that fireproof insulators are used in various industries including steel industry with high temperature, and said, “Fireproof insulators are divided into two main organic-based and mineral-based categories, and are of great importance due to the creation of a porous structure during a fire.”
Noting that a high percentage of the raw materials of fireproof insulators are organic compounds, he said, “Our knowledge-based company has produced mineral-based fireproof insulators based on the international standards whose quality is 30% better and its price is 20% lower than the foreign samples.”
Iran Knowledge-Based Firm Domestically Produces Bolts, Nuts
An Iranian knowledge-based company produces thousands of bolts and nuts per day to meet domestic companies’ needs.
Kamal Dezfuli, the sales manager of a knowledge-based company told ANA correspondent that their company produces different models and sizes of industrial, construction and pipeline bolts and nuts.
“Bolts and nuts are the mother of industry in contrast to what people think of them as small parts that are used to open and close a tool,” he said.
He added that they produce different models of industrial bolts and nuts, master bolts, all kinds of anchor bolts, tube supports (tube accessories), Ubolts and Jbolts.
Stating that the products made in the company are knowledge-based, he added, “Most of the bolts needed in the country previously used to be imported from China as manufacturing them inside the country was costly. But, currently my company has the capability to produce as many as 26,000 bolts and nuts per day.”
“All variants of industrial bolts and nuts are made in the company which are needed in industrial and construction structures at different levels through cold forging methods with various coatings based on customer needs,” he went on to say.
Nanoparticles Utilized by Iranian Firm to Produce Fireproof Coatings
An Iranian company used special nanoparticles to produce fireproof coatings applied as insulation in buildings and facilities.
‘FERMA High-tech’ engineering Co. Ltd manufactured the fireproof coating which is made of basic cementitious materials and inorganic lightweight fire-resistant nanoparticles for the protection of applied metallic parts in the structure of buildings.
It provides a thermal insulation in the buildings or facilities and retards any increment in the skeleton temperature during a probable fire.
Using nanoparticles in the basic cement material of the product has resulted in emergence of fireproof property in the final coating, strong interfacial adhesion between the coating and underlying substrate, extension of the time required for reaching a critical temperature at which the mechanical strength of structural steels is deteriorated and superior thermal resistance.
The nano-based product can be applied as a fireproof coating in building structures.
Iran ranked world’s 2nd largest sponge iron producer in 2022
The World Steel Association (WSA), in its latest annual report, has ranked Iran second among the world’s top sponge iron-producing countries in 2022.
Based on the WSA data, Iran managed to produce 32.9 million tons of sponge iron in 2022 to stand at second place after India with 42.3 million tons of production, Tehran Times reported.
According to WSA, Iran also kept its place as the world’s 10th largest steel producer last year, with 30.6 million tons of crude steel output.
Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) was also reported to be the world’s 20th largest company based on the WSA ranking.
The total global production of crude steel in 2022 was 1,301,300,000 tons while the consumption of this product in the world was 1,301,400,000 tons.
Iranian Researchers Produce Low-Cost Fertilizer Using Innovative Method
Researchers at Hakim Sabzevari University, based in Sabzevar city in Razavi Khorasan province, succeeded in producing a type of low-dost fertilizer by mixing water and air as their raw materials.
According to a report by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), “Examining the photocatalytic capability of two chemical compounds in the photochemical reaction of converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia” was the title of a project that Reza Tayyebi, a professor at Hakim Sabzevari University, did with the support of the INSF.
“Nitrogen, as an essential element for building biomolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids, is needed by all organisms on earth. Moreover, stabilizing (storing) nitrogen in the soil is a process by which the molecular nitrogen present in air converts into ammonia or nitrogenous compounds in the soil. This process, meaning nitrogen stabilization (storage) is necessary for human life on the planet,” he explained.
Saying that mineral nitrogenous compounds are needed to join all organic compounds containing nitrogen such as amino acids and proteins, Tayyebi added, “These compounds are also necessary for agriculture and fertilizer production as a part of the nitrogen cycle.”
“For that, it is necessary to use a method artificially and industrially that costs less and uses a highly productive and recyclable catalyst. It should also be possible to perform this reaction in short time and with less energy loss,” the researcher noted.
Iranian Firm Produces Epoxy Flooring Strongly Resistant to Wear
An Iranian company used polymeric nanocomposites to make special epoxy flooring which is resistant to wear.
‘Baspar Sazan Iranian’ company used a polymeric nanocomposite filled with appropriate oxide nanoparticles to produce the epoxy flooring through which superior wear resistance and hardness was obtained.
These features can be beneficial to floorings for certain applications like clean rooms and hygienic places.
The presence of the hard fillers in the polymeric matrix of the product has resulted in its higher abrasion resistance and favorable hardness.
The product can be used as flooring for clean rooms, hygienic places, food and beverage industries and residential and commercial places.
Iranian Researcher Produce New Disinfectants with Broad Applications
An Iranian technological company has produced a multi-purpose biocompatible disinfectant for use in the medical field and also for cleaning vegetables and other data-x-items at home.
Samira Gorji, one of the researchers of the Iranian technology company, considered the “surgical scrub” as one of the products of their company and said, “This product is one of the strategic products in the health field, because the surgeon disinfects his/her hands with this product before surgery.”
She named the “ultrasound gel” as another product of their company, explaining, “This gel is produced at a high quality, so, when it is used, it will not damage the probe of the ultrasound (sonography) machine and will not cause corrosion in it.”
Gorji pointed to causing no sensitivity in the patient as one of the advantages of their products saying, “Moreover, this gel that creates radiation from the device to the site [in the body part] is of high quality.”
Iranian Company Produces Anti-Pimple Ointment Using Nanomaterials
A technology company in Iran has started using nanomaterials in producing anti-pathogen ointment and also creams to reduce the appearance of pimples on the body.
According to a report by Iran’s Nano Development Headquarters, Ebrahim Akbarzadeh, the managing director of a technology company and a professor of Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology (KNTU) said that his company has received a nanoscale certificate for gold, silver and iron nanoparticles, adding, “These nanomaterials are sold to various companies for use in their products.”
“In addition to the production of these nanomaterials, we tried to make products ourselves. Considering the positive effect of gold nanoparticles in production of collagen for skin rejuvenation, we have developed a formulation for the production of a cream, which is currently in the process of receiving licenses from the Food and Drug Organization,” he added.
“We also used silver nanoparticles to formulate creams with anti-pathogen properties and reducing pimples on the body,” Akhbarzadeh went on to say.
Stainless Granite Tile Made by Iranian Nanotechnology Firm
The new granite tile produced by an Iranian nanotechnology company prevents penetration of stains and pollutants.
‘Kashi Geranit Behceram’ company manufactured the anti-stain porcelain tile with an extremely dense structure and trivial porosity content.
The addition of the nanomaterial to the product has resulted in filling the superficial pores, preventing the penetration of stains and pollutants into the surface, making the tile ideal for anti-stain applications and improving the mechanical strength, resistance to frost, ease of cleansing, and breakage threshold.
The product can be applied as a stain-proof tile in highly crowded places and industrial areas, hospitals and clinics where the hygiene takes the priority and all buildings, floors, and walls.
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