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:
Iran-Made Microscope Helps Scientists to Discover World of Nanotechnology
Iranian researchers succeeded in using nanobiotechnology and optomechatronics to produce a special microscope for research centers active in the field of nanotechnology.
“By converging these two fields (nanobiotechnology and optomechatronics), we have been able to convert a normal telescope into a nano microscope with 46 eyepieces using a single kit. In fact, with 46 eyepieces and lenses inside the telescope, we were able to increase the magnification by 4,600 times in the dimensions of 670 nm and 500 nm,” Meysam Pouryousefian, the researcher of the project, told ANA.
“We have also produced a series of cloth products that can clean lenses without using alcohol or any other cleaning agents,” he added.
Although nanotechnology has shown a series of disadvantages in the field of treatment and health, the challenges of this field will be resolved in the near future, Pouryousefian said.
“Our product is in the diagnostic field and fortunately it does not face such challenges,” he added.
Plasma Air Purification, Disinfection System Indigenized in Iran
Iranian specialists at a knowledge-based company used plasma and cavitation technologies to design and make a variety of air purification and disinfection systems.
“The device works by using plasma technology, and its advantage compared to similar models is that the filter inside the device does not get clogged and does not need to be replaced and it can be revived only by washing,” said Hamed Bananifard, the director of the research and development (R&D) department of the knowledge-based company.
“The PANTA AIR P120+ plasma air purification and disinfection device is suitable for home, office, and high-traffic indoor environments. The device uses cold plasma technology with the ability to destroy all types of microorganisms in the air and enjoys the capability to purify and disinfect air for 150 cubic meters per hour of output air,” he added.
Noting that the system produces noise less than 40 decibels and works without the use of chemicals with a smart control system, Bananifard said, “The device has no pressure drop and therefore, does not need a strong engine and so much electricity. It only absorbs air particles by creating an electric field and the electrostatic force created by the electric field.”
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Intelligent Robotic Chassis Platform for Heavy Vehicles
Experts at an Iranian knowledge-based company operating in the field of intelligentization of heavy vehicles equipment have managed to design and produce intelligent chassis for heavy commercial vehicles.
“This product is the first intelligent chassis platform for heavy vehicles, including minibuses, buses, and vans. In fact, this product is a combination of software and hardware, meaning that heavy machine chassis are considered as hardware and the platform for designing product is considered as an intelligent software,” Mohammad Hossein Jabbari, an expert of a knowledge-based company for the intelligentization of equipment and chassis of heavy vehicles based in Semnan, in northern Iran said in an interview with ANA.
“All vehicles both in the world and in Iran are equipped with chassis. But such a system for heavy commercial vehicles has not been implemented in [all countries] to date, except for a few countries in the world,” he added.
Talking about how they got the idea to produce the chassis, Jabbari explained, “After studying and examining the production process of chassis for heavy vehicles, the research and development team of the company began to build a special platform for them.”
Iran-Made Nano-Based Products Reduce Wear in Tires, Fuel Consumption in Vehicles
Five Iranian knowledge-based companies have made several nano-based products which prevent tire wear and cracking and in the meantime reduce fuel consumption in different vehicles.
Sharif Nano Pars is an Iranian knowledge-based company which has used spherical nanoparticles with a thickness of 30-50 nm to produce car tire and dashboard polisher and cleaner with anti-dust property, high gloss and protection, and the capability to prevent tire wear and cracking.
Kavir Tire is another Iranian company which has produced ‘Green Tire’ by reducing the thickness of the innermost layer of the tire with nanoclay which decreases air molecule permeability, weight, and fuel consumption, and increases the tire life.
Fadak nanostructured silica is another product made by an Iranian nanotechnology firm which uses silica 15-35-nm nano powder applied as a reinforcement and wire adhesion agent to the tire compound.
Iran, Turkey Sign Agreement to Link Electricity Grids
The Iran Grid Management Company and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) have signed an agreement to put into operation the Khoy-Van grid line.
Iran and Turkey signed a contract to connect their power grids during the visit of Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi at the head of a delegation to Turkey.
In the presence of President Raeisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, caretaker director of Iran Grid Management Company Mehdi Moghimzadeh, and Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEİAŞ) director Orhan Kaldirim, signed the contract for linking of the 400-kilovolt BtB HVDC line between Khoy (Iran) and Van (Turkey).
The contract signed by Iran’s Mehdi Moghimzadeh and Turkey's Orhan Kaldirim clears the decks for connection of the 400-kilovolt BtB HVDC line between Khoy (Iran) and Van (Turkey).
The pilot operation of the BtB HVDC was successfully carried out last year, the Iranian manager said, adding that the new agreement paves the way for the actual operation, which can create an opportunity to exchange power with Turkey and some European countries.
Iran-Made Device Blocks Growth of Toxic Algae in Fresh Water
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company that produces marine equipment succeeded in indigenizing an ultrasonic device to fight the growth of toxic algae.
“The algae remover is useful for cleaning pools, ponds, and generally removing toxic algae that cause fresh water pollution in farms or orchards,” said Mahmoud Esmayeeli, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“The device uses ultrasonic technology and produces mechanical-sound waves with a frequency higher than human hearing,” he added.
Noting that the frequencies and waves that algae have problems with have been identified by the specialists of his company, Esmayeeli said, “In the next step, when the device is placed on the surface of water, the frequencies create a series of waves with high vibration and they destroy the algae.”
“The device is made in countries like the Netherlands and the US, but in the Middle East, Iran and our company is the first manufacturer of ultrasonic devices,” he underlined.
Web-Based Customizer Software Designed by Iranian Specialists for Different Businesses
The IT specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in coding and designing a web-based customizer software for different businesses in the country.
“This program is actually a customization platform for various businesses. The difference between our job and other platforms is that the system is designed in the form of a dynamic and changeable platform from the beginnig,” said Alireza Jahangard, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, stationed at the Science and Technology Park of Yazd province.
“The specialists of our company enjoy the capability to design and program websites for products of companies that are difficult to support. Since it is often not cost-effective for the employer to design separate websites for one or two products, with the support and guarantee that our company gives to the employer, the cost-effectiveness of the website’s design is guaranteed,” he added.
"The advantage of websites and platforms designed by our company is that possible defects can be fixed after the program is launched or the site is up,” Jahangard said.
Iran Records Increased Demand for Steel Products
The demand for steel products or steel consumption in Iran increased in the first nine months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023- December 20, 2023) compared to the same period last year, official figures show.
Iran Steel Producers Association (ISPA) released its statistics about the production and demand for steel and sponge iron products during March, 21, 2023 till December 20, 2023 and said that the domestic consumption of iron and steel chain in the country increased by 1.2% to 6.6% compared to the same period last year.
According to ISPA figures, only the demand for long steel products in that 9-month period was slightly less than the same period in the year 1401.
9.671 million tons of long steel bars were produced, of which 7.601 million tons were consumed internally, which shows a 1.4% decrease compared to its apparent consumption in the same period last year, which was 7.711 million tons.
During that period, 7.315 million tons of steel flat bars were consumed, which has experienced an increase of 6.6% compared to their consumption in the first nine months of last year, equivalent to six million and 860 thousand tons.
Knowledge-Based Firm Produces New Air Conditioners to Save Energy
One of the technology companies located at the Kerman Science and Technology Park in the Southeastern part of Iran has offered gas and solar-powered air conditioners that can reduce electricity consumption in the country considerably.
“As the Energy Ministry has announced its readiness to buy electrical power generated by the companies which are capable of manufacturing solar power plants, we managed to be more active in the field of solar systems and implementation of solar power plants,” Morteza Ahmadiyeh, the managing director of the technological company, said in an interview with local Iranian media.
“Gas-solar air conditioners are one of our products. Since 2006, we have been the only manufacturer of this type of air conditioners,” he added.
Stating that these air conditioning systems are of great importance during peak hours of electricity consumption, Ahmadiyeh said, “These air-conditioning systems come in two models. The first class works with electricity and the solar power reducing electricity consumption significantly. The second class of this coolers are gas air-conditioners that work solely with the solar power. This product is ready for commercialization,” he added.
According to him, the machine is automatically connected to the power grid when there is no sunlight and it does not need to batteries.
Iranian Company Produces Essence from Moisture of Fruits during Drying Process
A technological company in Iran succeeded in manufacturing a device which can produce the by-product of essence from the moisture of the fruit-drying process.
“Essence extraction is being promoted by the company in a traditional way. We boil the raw materials with indirect heat and obtain the essence from the steam,” Hassan Abdollahzadeh, the managing director of Ardabil Machine-Making company, stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Ardabil branch, told ANA.
“In this process, two products are obtained; we dry the fruits and at the same time extract essence, and the added value of the essence is twice that of the dried product,” he said.
“When we put 1,000 kg of fruit into the machine, at the end 100 kg of dried product is taken, and we do not allow the loss of fruit moisture and produce the by-product of essence,” Abdollahzadeh added.
Iran Ranks 7th in World in Training Skilled Manpower in AI Field
Iran ranks 7th in the world in training skilled manpower in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), an official said.
“Based on a report by an international organization, which has not yet been officially released, Iran ranks 7th in the world regarding training the skilled manpower in the field of artificial intelligence,” Head of Iran National Innovation Fund Mohammad Sadeq Khayyatian said.
“I believe that we have a high capacity in the fields of health and medicine,” he added.
A report by Iran’s Research Institute of Information and Communication Technology said that the country has set its sights on becoming an AI leader, vying a leadership in the market by 2032.
The report added that Iran will be placed among the top 10 countries in AI in 10 years.
Iran-Made Silicon Nanocoatings Protect High-Voltage Insulators
Specialists of a knowledge-based company succeeded in producing special silicone nanocoatings for high voltage insulators which protect them from pollution and humidity and increase their lifespan.
“Insulators are made of silicone, glass and ceramic. Silicone insulators have a short lifespan but they are suitable for polluted environments. Ceramic and glass insulators enjoy high strength but they quickly face problems in polluted environments,” said Nayyereh Taqvayee, the managing director of the company.
“In this product, we used the advantage of both parts by creating a silicon nanocoating on the surface of the insulators,” she added.
“The silicone nanocoating with hydrophobic properties protects insulator against harsh environment and pollution, and this coating can remain on the surface of ceramic and glass insulators for years, and even after damage which is caused by power outages, re-coating the insulator is possible,” Taqvayee said.
“We have launched the production line of this product, which has the capacity to produce 300 tons per year,” she noted.
New Rice Cultivation Method in Iran Optimizes Water Use, Reduces Greenhouse Gases
Iranian scientists have found a new method for cultivation of rice which optimizes the use of water and decreases production of greenhouse gases.
“In this project, rice was cultivated in the form of seedlings. After separating and disinfecting the broken seeds by salt water solution, the seeds were germinated and then seeding was carried out, and after four leaves of the seedling are grown, the operation of transferring the seedling to the main land was carried out,” said Mostafa Yousefian, the manager of the project.
“In this plan, to decrease the amount of irrigation by the method of incomplete drying of the roots, the cultivation method was chosen in the form of atmospheric and piles. To prepare the land, we first plowed the surface of the field with a tractor to a depth of 20 cm, and after that, a light irrigation was carried out to germinate the weed seeds in the soil. Then, to control the weeds, the surface of the ground was sprayed with pesticides,” he added.
“The correct use of water that is provided to the farmer is of great importance because although the effect of activities that improve the efficiency of water use may be insignificant, the volume of water saved through this method is significant at the macro level,” Yousefian said.
First Compost Turner Vehicle in Middle-East Made in Iran
For the first time in the Middle-East, a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in manufacturing a windrow turner vehicle that converts organic and wet waste into compost.
“Biocompost production can be placed at the top of recycling and sanitary waste disposal programs in Iran. One of the ways to convert organic waste into compost is to use the self-driving turner compost vehicle” said Davoud Rajabi, the managing director of the company.
“In this method, the materials are stored in piles on the ground and are aerated by the self-driving compost turner vehicle. With the activity of aerobic microorganisms, the composting process is gradually completed and pathogens are destroyed during this operation,” he added.
Rajabi said that his company can produce 12 compost turner vehicles annually, adding that they can increase the number to 50 units per year if supported.
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