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 Designs Nat’l Model for Intelligentization of Power Distribution System
The Iranian specialists at Nirou research institute designed and implemented the national model of intelligentization of the country's electric power distribution system in the form of a fundamental project.
“Improving corporate governance, increasing network strength, improving resilience, improving reliability, resolving energy imbalances, improving the quality of electric power delivered to customers, reforming the economy of the electricity distribution industry, resolving financial imbalances, improving administrative health, improving intra-organizational and extra-organizational interactions, improving HSE of company personnel, customers and society are among the most important goals and results to be considered in the design and implementation of the national model of intelligentization of the country's power distribution system,” said Mohammad Reza Safari, the head of the research team.
“Locality, comprehensiveness in the balanced intelligentization of all the components of the intelligent system, the possibility of carrying out plans and projects in the implementation stage and finally materializing the goals, and the evolution of the electricity distribution industry are other important features of the national model,” he added.
Safari underlined that by identifying the engineering and non-engineering problems of the power distribution system in 70 sectors and paying attention to the limitations and obstacles of each of the electricity distribution companies, a roadmap will be designed and implemented to overcome the existing problems and reach the desired situation.
The 7th National Conference on New Technologies in Electrical, Computer and Mechanical Engineering of Iran was held in Tehran on June 6.
Iran-Made Smart Sorting Machine Separates Dried Fruit, Saffron
Iranian researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in designing and making a smart sorting machine which can separate different dried fruit and saffron flower.
“Our company initially started its activity with implementation of the saffron processing line plan; the saffron processing line consists of devices equipped with artificial intelligence, and using this technology, it performs all the steps of saffron flower processing, from cutting to multi-stage separation to obtain the saffron stigma,” Mohammad Reza Almasi, the executive director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“Also, this line is equipped with three smart sorting machines that can be used for dry fruits as well,” he added.
Almasi explained that a sorter is a device that can separate products based on predetermined criteria (color, shape, and size) with the accuracy and speed many times faster than human labor, adding that today, for reasons like increasing production efficiency and reducing health damage, the sorting machines are used for a variety of materials.
“The smart sorting machine developed by our company can be used to separate products like figs, dates, raisins and pistachios,” he noted.
Almasi added that the saffron processing line has been patented and used for the first time in the world.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Modified Wheat, Corn Starch on Industrial Scale
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in production of modified and stabilized wheat and corn starch on an industrial scale by using the state-of-the-art technologies.
“Our company has been working for over 20 years with the aim of improving the quality of raw materials used in the food industry and producing modified starches based on wheat, corn, and potato,” Alireza Rezayee, a quality controler of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“At present, our company produces all types of modified starch, stabilizers, premixes, etc. under the international standards of FDA, the national standard of Iran and also using the integrated system of ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 and HACCP,” he underlined.
“The modified starches and additives of our company enjoy advantages like creating the desired texture in the product, increasing shelf life, excellent performance as a bulking agent, emulsifier and stabilizer, and fat substitute,” Rezayee said.
Iranian Scientists Indigenize Quantitative Phase Imaging Microscope
Iranian researchers succeeded in designing and building a Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) microscope which provides both quantitative and beautiful images of living cells.
In this research, a QPI accessory has been proposed which can be installed on conventional optical microscopes and equip them with a tool for digital holographic microscopy.
The proposed part includes a double Fresnel prism with a certain vertex angle, which can form an interference frieze if the coherent light of the laser is guided inside the microscope. A digital detector is placed at the end part of the piece to record full monographs.
By installing this part on any type of optical microscope, the scientists can have a very stable digital whole-view microscope device which provides the possibility of imaging, studying and characterizing living cells without the need to use anti-vibration optical tables.
The proposed device enjoys a very high efficiency in 3D imaging of transparent samples, specially biological samples, and quantitative analysis of their dynamics, and it can be easily used for quantitative study of cell dynamics in medical and biological research, 3D surface topography, testing and characterization of various structures in science, microelectromechanical materials and systems, measurement of changes in refractive index of fluids in microchannels, study of nonlinear phenomena and many other research and industrial applications.
Iranian Researchers Making Efforts to Build Low-Cost High-Strength Concrete
Iranian researchers are striving to find a new way to produce stronger concrete by using low-cost materials.
“If possible, we want to achieve new technologies in high-strength concrete and composite concrete in the near future so that we can brand and send them to the market with lower costs and more accurate materials,” Kamal Khorramdel, a researcher and inventor and a faculty member of the Civil Engineering Department of the Islamic Azad University’s Mahabad branch, told ANA.
He stressed that the initial tests have proven successful in this regard.
“We are also working on concrete for the water tanks which are open and can reduce water penetration to zero,” Khorramdel said.
“Since the water inside the tanks contains chlorine and chlorine ions can be corrosive to concrete and reinforcements, the lack of water penetration can prevent the corrosion of concrete and rebars,” he noted.
Iranian Researchers Produce Wool Fat from Effluent of Washing Factories
Researchers of an Iranian knowledge-based company stationed at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences succeeded in production of wool fat from the effluent of wool washing factories.
“Lanolin or wool fat is a wax secreted by sheep's sebaceous glands. This material protects the sheep from weather hazards. Lanolin and its derivatives are used as water and oil emulsifiers, softeners, moisturizers, stabilizers and plasticizers in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and health, military weapons, food, oil, paint, construction, leather, etc. industries,” Kianoush Namayan, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
He explained that lanolin is the only source of cholesterol production and D3 precursor.
“Lanolin is also used in skin ointments as a repair agent, in suppositories as a drug carrier, in sutures as an agent in the wound healing process, in dressings, burn ointments and wound sprays and in surgical adhesive tapes as a plasticizer agent and it is an agent that accelerates the wound healing process. It has applications as emulsifier, stabilizer, softener and acceleration agent in the wound healing process,” Namayan said.
Lanolin, also called wool fat, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Historically, many pharmacopoeias have referred to lanolin as wool fat (adeps lanae); however, as lanolin lacks glycerides (glycerol esters), it is not a true fat. Lanolin primarily consists of sterol esters instead.
Lanolin's waterproofing property aids sheep in shedding water from their coats. Certain breeds of sheep produce large amounts of lanolin.
Iranian Researchers Work on Producing Synthetic Fuel with Potential to Tackle Environmental Concerns
An Iranian researcher and his teammates at the University of Tehran are working on producing a synthetic fuel in a laboratory environment with the least pollution level through a simulator and combining percentages of materials together.
Mehdi Abbasi, a professor at the University of Tehran (UT) and a graduate from Stuttgart University in Germany in the field of combustion of air engines with an environmental approach said in an interview with local Iranian media that, “A part of the project we implemented at the University of Stuttgart was aimed at the development of alternative fuels; Alternative fuels are fuels that do not originate from crude oil or can be synthetically produced in a laboratory environment.”
He stated that the existing fuels used in the automotive and aerospace industry are of petroleum origin, explaining more that, “Although there are environmental problems with crude oil, predictions show that by 2050, hydrocarbon sources will still be prevailing. These fuels have full energy portfolio, however, the percentage of their utilization is decreasing.”
Emphasizing that the consumption of gas in the future will increase, Abbasi described the trend as a result ofthe green approaches adopted by countries. “Gas has less pollution than diesel and gasoline, so it is more favorable,” he added.
The UT professor further said that he and his teammates in their studies, “tried to produce fuels in the laboratory environment and combine them with each other to achieve clean fuel.”
“We used the ‘fuel engineering’ or ‘fuel design’ method to achieve this product,” he noted.
Iranian Scientists Develop Nanocatalysts for Isomerization Process to Produce High-Quality Gasoline
Iranian researchers succeeded in producing polyexometallic nanocatalysts based on organic-metallic frameworks to be used in the process of normal hexane isomerization to increase the quality of gasoline in compliance with environmental standards.
‘Normal isomerization of hexane using polyexometallic nanocatalysts based on organic-metallic frameworks’ is the title of the thesis of Neda Rezayee, a PhD graduate in Chemical Engineering from Noushirvani University of Technology which was completed with the support of the National Science Foundation of Iran.
“Due to the importance of complying with environmental standards and the need to use up-to-date and efficient catalysts in the refining industry, in this research, normal isomerization of hexane was chosen in the vicinity of the best acid catalysts to improve their performance in the research process,” Rezayee said.
Noting that compliance with environmental standards in the isomerization process and finally in the gasoline production process and making a suitable acid catalyst for the isomerization process is one of the goals of this project, she said, “In this project, we are looking for a catalyst that has the highest efficiency and can provide more active sites for the isomerization reaction and remain active for a longer time.”
“The research showed that the super acid catalysts are suitable for performing the isomerization process due to their high acid properties but due to their deactivation, a suitable solution should be sought. For this reason, we focused on this issue and the results of this research are definitely applicable in the process of normal hexane isomerization,” Rezayee added.
“Finally, by making a suitable acid catalyst, the isomerization process can be advanced and the environmental risks caused by the production of low-quality gasoline can be reduced,” she stated.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Flexible Circuits to Print on Fabric
An Iranian knowledge-based company has succeeded in making flexible circuits with application in printing circuits on fabric and textiles.
During the past 8 years, the specialists of the knowledge-based company have focused on the new technology platform called printed electronics and developed the method of printing electronic circuits.
“In a bid to develop products in the field of printed electronics, we have built a printer by which we can make products like seat warmers and car sensors and panels with the help of nano-based inks which make it possible to produce flexible and low-cost electronic devices,” said Ali Qarakhani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“At present, this device makes it possible to print all types of flexible circuits, RFID tags, flexible heaters and flexible sensors in addition to research and development capabilities on other applications in the field of printed electronics,” he added.
“We produce electronic circuits through printing in our company. We started research in this field 8 years ago,” Qarakhani noted.
Researchers and technicians at a technological company based at the Islamic Azad University (IAU) have locally produced necessary materials and equipment for cell culture to reduce the cost of research in laboratories in Iran by 50%.
“Our company has focused on the production of laboratory materials, especially materials and culture media ingredients related to culturing cells. Currently, a high percentage of these culture media is imported into the country from overseas. Our main goal in this technological core is to produce these products to help the country be self-sufficient in this regard and reduce its dependency on imports,” said Amin Rouzbehi, a PhD student in microbiology and director of a Technology Core based in the health development center of the Islamic Azad University Shahrekord Branch (IAUSHK).
He said that they started the company at the IAUSHK in 2022 and have been able to use the facilities and equipment of the Biotechnology Research Center at that university.
“After conducting research and expanding the production of cell culture ingredients, our company has successfully completed the trail phase of its products. Now, we have met the research needs of professors and students of this university. Meanwhile, we are consulting with other universities, research centers and laboratories all over the country to introduce products and begin their mass production and supply them,” he added.
The director of the technological core also said that the domestically-producing the cell culture ingredients and equipment would also generate revenues for the IAUSHK.
“The products of this technology core include several types of cell culture media. Considering the fact that lots of those ingredients and equipment that are used in research centers and laboratories across the country are imported, this technology core would contribute to reducing the research costs for researchers at laboratories by domestically producing them.”
Iranian Company Designs Machinery for Livestock, Poultry Feed Production Line
An Iranian technological company managed to design different machinery for the production line of livestock and poultry feed.
“Our company is active in the field of consulting, designing and construction of animal, poultry and aquatic feed production plants in different tonnages in a fully automatic way, reconstruction, renovation and upgrading of animal and poultry feed production plants, imports of modern technology of feed production line machinery, spare parts and customized parts,” Mohammad Khalili, the managing director of Kardan Machine company, told ANA.
“In a bid to improve the quality and productivity of livestock and poultry feed production units, our company has embarked on designing the livestock and poultry feed production line machines in Iran with a new and up-to-date design and reverse engineering of high-quality machines of reputable brands,” he added.
Khalili noted that imports of the latest technologies, including advanced in-line analyzers, nutrition software, ration management for industrial and semi-industrial animal husbandry are other future plans of his company.
Iran Becomes Self-Sufficient in Producing Pen Ink
Iran has become self-sufficient in producing pen ink through the efforts of technologists at a knowledge-based company.
Technologists at a knowledge-based firm in Iran have successfully produced antibacterial inks for pens for the first time in the country and region.
“In this company, with working round the clock, we have made a great achievement that has been unprecedented in Iran and the region until today. The new product is pen ink,” said managing director of the knowledge-based company ‘Sepandar Johar Arian’ Mohammad-Amin Maghsoudi.
He said that prior to this, the Iranian factories that produced pen used imported ink from other countries, adding that $2.5 million used to spent on buying the material.
“Domestically producing pen ink in Iran will not only put us on the list of the top seven countries in the world in this field, but also it will lay the ground for further innovations and improvement in the stationery industry inside our country,” he added.
“The ink is produced using the world's latest technology and represents the high-level of know-how of Iranian experts. This ink is high quality and viscosity and helps you create the most beautiful writings,” Maghsoudi went on to say.
Iranian Company Produces Sanitary Gel for Women
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based pharmaceutical company produced a new type of sanitary gel for women with no impacts on hormones.
“Moisturizing vaginal gel is one of our company's latest products which was made for the first time in Iran, and its unique feature compared to similar products is its long-lasting effectiveness,” Ahmad Sadeqi, the managing director of the knowledge-based pharmaceutical company, told ANA.
“In similar products, vaginal gel is used every night, but this product is used once every 3 days, which is more convenient for the user,” he added.
Noting that the structure of the gel is not hormonal, Sadeqi said moisturizing vaginal gel does not cause any complications in disturbing the balance of hormones in the user's body.
“The main product has a special polymer that is the monopoly of a British-American company and is not imported into Iran due to sanctions, but with the efforts of our company's experienced specialists, this polymer has been transformed into simpler materials and is used in the production of this product,” he said.
Hospitals in Iran Equipped with Locally-Made Neopuff Neonatal T-Piece Resuscitator
A knowledge-based company has produced infant T-Piece resuscitators to equip Iranian hospitals with domestically produced devices.
“All the pieces of these devices (infant T-Piece resuscitators) are designed and produced by Iranian experts,” said Massoud Soleimani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company which has focused its operation on producing neonatal resuscitators and air-oxygen blenders.
“With its ergonomic design and simple user interface, the infant T-piece resuscitator allows for performing resuscitation without making error in applying work pressures and without causing fatigue during the resuscitation period. The infant resuscitation T-piece has the capability to connect to oxygen blender, oxygen and air flowmeter, capsule regulators, mask and tracheal tube of the baby, which creates high flexibility to use in different positions,” he explained about the device, according to a report by the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
The user interface (UI) is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device. This can include display screens, keyboards, a mouse and the appearance of a desktop.
Soleimani further explained that small size and light weight of the T-piece has made it easy to carry and use it in different places, including the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), female ward, emergency, etc.
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