Iranian Scientist Details Benefits of Isotope Separation Technology in Different Industries
Isolation and development of the use of stable isotopes in the AEOI was detailed by the Iranian atomic expert in a seminar in Tehran.
The nuclear industry expert said that the AEOI has been separating and developing the use of stable isotopes in recent years. The separation of isotopes for various applications is considered a strategic and advanced technology, he added.
“Isotope simply means elements that differ from each other in the number of their neutrons, and in fact, atoms that have the same atomic number and different mass number are called isotopes,” the expert defined isotope.
“Stable isotopes have a suitable ratio of neutrons to protons, and no particle emission or radiation from their nucleus takes place,” he added
Elsewhere in his speech, the nuclear energy expert went on to point to “radioisotopes” and “radiopharmaceuticals”, which have been widely used in industry, medicine, science and research.
Explaining the uses of isotopes in different fields, the researcher said, “The first field is the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which includes nuclear imaging, radiological diagnostics, radiopharmaceutical treatments, external radiotherapy, biochemical analyses, PET and SPET imaging. The second field is in industries and includes gamma photography, precision measurement and measurement systems, gas and smoke detection systems, mineral analyzes and processes. The next area in environmental science includes pollution source identification, atmospheric studies, and water cycle studies. The fourth field in biological sciences is ecology, photosynthesis pathway, food web, sports medicine, toxicology, metabolic studies and food cycles, etc.”
Regarding the market of stable isotopes, based on the source of the Markets & Markets Institute report, he said, “In 2010 it was worth $111 million and in 2017 it was worth $235.4 million.”
"In order to use and take advantage of the properties of an isotope, it is necessary to separate it from other isotopes or to increase the concentration and richness of that isotope by using processes,” he concluded.
