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’s Non-Oil Exports Increase 18% in 8 Months
TEHRAN (ANA)- Iran’s non-oil exports increased by 18% year on year in the 8 months of the current year, the head of the customs office (IRICA) announced.
Iran exported $38.152 billion worth of goods and commodities in the past 8 months to late November, Foroud Asgari said.
He added that export shipments had also increased by 14.66% in volume terms over the same period to reach 103.558 million metric tons.
His figures showed that petrochemicals had accounted for 29.79% of Iran’s total non-oil exports in the 8 months to late November as shipments generated $17.5 billion worth of revenues.
Main export data-x-items included liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at $5.1 billion, liquefied propane at $2.2 billion, and methanol at $1.7 billion, the figures showed.
China was the largest buyer of Iranian export shipments over the April-November period with $9.9 billion worth of purchases, followed by Iraq at $8.3 billion and the United Arab Emirates at $4.8 billion, IRICA figures showed.
Figures released earlier this month pointed to a major month-on-month increase in Iran’s non-oil exports in October thanks to a surge in shipments delivered to neighboring Iraq.
Asgari said that imports into Iran had also risen to $45.127 billion in the eight months to late November.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Extensively Manufactures Food Industry Machinery
A knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in increasing the production capacity of various knowledge-based products and developing the domestic manufacturing of food industry machinery to a large extent.
The company which is supported by the Innovation and Prosperity Fund of Iran has been able to meet the needs of the country's confectionery and chocolate factories on a large scale.
“Our company has been designing and manufacturing confectionery, chocolate and food production machinery for about 30 years and is one of the first companies to design new machinery for the first time in the country, bring it to mass production, and supply it to confectionery, chocolate and candy factories,” said Ali Yadegari, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“This company has made every effort to benefit from the academic elites. Our employees are all specialists and graduates of bachelor's and master's degrees in electricity and mechanics,” he added.
Iranian Firm Produces Organic Saffron by Dry Farming
An Iranian technological company has managed to produce a new type of organic saffron which does not require water.
“We have produced organic saffron that does not require water. We succeeded in extracting antioxidant colors that turn into natural pigments,” said Sakineh Tayyeb, the managing director of the technological company stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Marand branch.
“We have worked on production of this product for several years and have been cultivating saffron aeroponics in a greenhouse,” she added.
Noting that the product is organic and enjoys excellent active ingredients, Tayyeb said, “This product has chicory and petals that can be used in the food, health and cosmetic industries by extracting essential oils and antioxidants.”
“The water requirement of this product is very low and does not require irrigation, and secondly, in a greenhouse, the water requirement reaches zero,” she added.
Tayyeb also said that a team from Turkey is due to visit the company’s saffron farm and product for possible exports.
Iranian Company Produces Food Supplements Based on Herbs, Mushrooms
Researchers at a technological company in Iran succeeded in producing spices, mixed seasonings and food supplements based on medicinal plants and mushrooms.
“Our company operates in the field of producing spices, mixed seasonings and food supplements based on medicinal plants and mushrooms, which are in the commercialization stages,” Rasta Hashemi, the sales manager of the company stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch, told ANA.
“Producing simple and mixed spices in a specialized manner is another activity of ourcompany, and hotels, hospitals, restaurants, food factories and industrial kitchens are the target markets of our company,” she added.
Iranian Company Makes Product to Reduce Thirst Stress in Trees
Specialists of a technological company succeeded in manufacturing a technological product to reduce thirst stress in pistachio trees.
“This company has patented two products for farmers active in planting pistachios, and the problem of these farmers at the beginning of the hot season is that the leaves of pistachio trees are sunburned and suffer from thirst stress,” Nazanin A’zami, the sales manager of the technological company, told ANA.
“To settle this problem, our company has started making a product called Knox 95, which is a strong coating and reduces thirst stress by covering the entire surface of the tree. It completely eliminates sunburn and reduces the temperature of the tree by 3 to 5 degrees,” she added.
Noting that farmers have always been concerned about being able to have a fruit set (fertilizer) that also contains calcium and phosphorus, A’zami said, “Therefore, the specialists of our company created fruit set which contains calcium and phosphorus, and this problem was eliminated for farmers. Fruit Set fertilizer is one of the most effective compounds for improving the flowering and reproductive growth of trees and helps in greater fertility and fruiting.”
Iranian Scientists Find Method to Transform Cigarette Filters into Epoxy Composite
Iranian scientists from the University of Tehran in cooperation with their Finnish colleagues found a novel upcycling method for transforming cigarette filters-an abundant and persistent environmental waste-into high-performance epoxy composites reinforced with cellulose nanofibers.
The innovation lies in extracting cellulose acetate nanofibers from used cigarette butts via a multi-step purification and electrospinning process, followed by their conversion into regenerated cellulose nanofibers through alkaline hydrolysis. This dual-fiber approach allows us to fabricate four distinct epoxy composites, each reinforced by different nanofiber types; recycled cellulose acetate nanofibers, regenerated cellulose nanofibers from recycled cigarette filters, and their commercial counterparts.
This is the first time regenerated nanofibers derived from waste cigarette filters have been utilized for epoxy composite reinforcement, demonstrating a sustainable, high-value use for a major pollutant. Comprehensive characterizations, including FTIR, XRD, SEM, and contact angle measurements, confirmed the successful regeneration of cellulose nanofibers, showing improved hydrophilicity, reduced crystallinity, and uniform nanofiber morphology with diameters between 200 and 300 nm.
The innovation further extends to the mechanical performance of these composites; tensile tests revealed that those reinforced with regenerated cellulose nanofibers exhibited superior tensile strength (49.5-53.8 MPa), significantly outperforming both cellulose acetate nanofiber composites (40.1-42.6 MPa) and neat epoxy resin (31.4 MPa). This marked improvement is attributed to enhanced nanofiber dispersion and interfacial adhesion within the epoxy matrix, an essential advancement over traditional composites.
In addition, thermal analysis showed that all composites maintained thermal stability in the 300-400 °C range, comparable to commercial alternatives. The regenerated nanofiber-reinforced composites also displayed enhanced optical transparency due to reduced light scattering, making them ideal candidates for applications requiring both mechanical strength and optical clarity.
Iran-Made Stereo Microphones Find Customers in Int’l Markets
An Iranian knowledge-based firm produced stereo microphones that are designed entirely with indigenous technology, turning the company into the first manufacturer of such products in Iran and the Middle East.
“We are the only manufacturer of stereo microphones in Iran, and the first in the Middle East. Our products are specifically for bloggers, influencers, singers, podcasters, and people who go live on social networks. These microphones are designed for recording sound, instruments, and podcasts,” Alizadeh, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“Our company is knowledge-based, and the sound technology and board design of these microphones are completely in our hands. We import the body and enjoy domestic know-how to design and produce the boards,” he added.
“We do not have any other manufacturers in Iran. Our competitors include Chinese companies with lower prices and quality, and well-known European brands with much higher prices,” Alizadeh said.
Iranian Firm Designs AI-Based Software for Direct Reduction Units in Steel Industries
A knowledge-based company in Iran unveiled the first artificial intelligence-based software for direct reduction units at a steel complex in the country.
The AIronPAX software is based on artificial intelligence and was designed by the company's artificial intelligence unit to simulate the direct reduction unit in the steel industry. It has now reached the implementation phase in a steel industrial complex to help increase the quality of steel products with the nanocatalysts used in the complex.
The software consists of three main parts; the prediction part predicts the quality of sponge iron based on input parameters; the parameter suggestion section, which suggests adjustable parameters to achieve the highest quality and production rate in different conditions, and finally the thermodynamic section, which calculates and announces some of the most important process parameters to adjust and maintain the system balance.
“We designed a domestically-developed artificial intelligence software for the sponge iron production line of a steel industrial complex, and this project has been produced, loaded and operated by our company for the first time,” said Hajar Qanbari, a faculty member of the University of Science and Technology and consultant to the company's Artificial Intelligence Unit.
She described early prevention of sponge iron quality loss, the possibility of taking further control measures on product quality, production line management in case of disruptions in process input parameters like power outages and optimizing system calibration, and the early detection of system bugs as the most important achievements of the project.
Iranian Experts Manufacture New System to Produce Biodegradable Plastic
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in creating an asymmetric kneader extruder that can create nanometer-sized particles in the polymer matrix and prevent the formation of lumps or powder clumps inside the polymer.
“The kneader extruder is one of the world's most up-to-date technologies for producing paste compounds. This device enjoys the capability to combine polymer materials with nano powders for a very long residence time and with much more mixing than a twin-screw machine, creating a completely uniform mixture of nano powder inside the polymer matrix and preventing the formation of lumps or powder clumps inside the polymer,” Mahmoud Bayat, the manufacturer of the asymmetric kneader extruder, told ANA.
Noting that the main reason for the poor quality of most automotive polymer parts is due to improper mixing of compounds, he said, “Production of this technology greatly improves the quality of polymer products from which the automotive and aerospace industries can benefit.”
“This product is widely used in the polymer and plastic industry, and for the first time, this complex has been able to produce nylon which is 80 percent composed of minerals and is biodegradable,” Bayat said.
Iranian Firm Launches Nano-Based Treatment Plant in Protein Factory
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company launched a wastewater treatment system with the help of nanobubbles in one of the largest protein factories in the country.
“An Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in treating industrial wastewater with nanobubbles. Since we were facing this problem, we negotiated with them to use the technology,” said Abolfazl Yahya, the managing director of the protein products factory.
Also, Abbas Kashanchi, the technical director of the knowledge-based company that produces the system explained that when the nanobubbles enter the wastewater, they collapse and give their energy to the wastewater. This energy causes the separation of fats and the breakdown of macromolecules.
“In the mechanical degreasing section, these nanobubbles cause the fat particles that are stuck together to come to the surface of the water, and therefore, these clots and fats can be easily separated,” said Vida Sabzevari, the executive manager of the knowledge-based company.
“Several different nano technologies have been used in this wastewater treatment system,” she added.
Also, Mehdi Etemadi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company explained that in this system, nano-epoxies have been used to design tanks that have a long lifespan, adding that nano-ozone technology has also been used in this device to minimize microbial contamination.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Uses Headspace Method to Analyze Alcohol in Blood
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in producing and patenting a prototype of a headspace device that is used in the analysis of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in gaseous, liquid and solid samples, analysis of alcohol in blood and solvents in pharmaceutical samples.
“Headspace is a method in which a sample is placed in a small sealed glass vial, and the gas phase part, called the headspace, is introduced into a gas chromatography separation column for detection and quantification,” said Moussavi, the chairman of the board of directors of the company.
“This allows the analyst to eliminate the sample pre-treatment step and focus on interpreting quantitative results and developing new analytical methods, providing more time for R&D assessment; actually, headspace is a convenient and fast sample pretreatment method in gas chromatography that eliminates complex and error-prone steps compared to other GC sample processing techniques and allows laboratory experts to obtain a large amount of useful information in a relatively short period of time,” he added.
The headspace sampling system is an automated equipment with an efficient and standard technique for testing volatile samples using a gas chromatography device. In this method, the sample to be analyzed is placed in glass containers (Vials) and, after being closed by special doors (Cap Crimp), it is placed in a heating chamber with the ability to adjust and control the temperature (Oven). After the appropriate equilibration time with each type of analyte has elapsed, volatile substances are created on the upper surface of the vial,” Moussavi said.
“Subsequently, the required part of the vapors created is directed to the gas chromatography device and the process of identifying and measuring the substances will be carried out,” he explained.
Iranian Specialists Manufacture Ultra-Low-Power BLDC Motors
A group of Iranian engineers from a knowledge-based company stationed at Isfahan Science and Research Town succeeded in production of ultra-low-power BLDC motors.
“Electric motors are used in electric transportation, and the product we produced in our company is an electric motor for bicycles, electric motorcycles, and electric vehicles along with their drives,” said Mohammad Sepahkar, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“So far, we have sold these products in packs of 1,000,” he added.
“These motors are brushless DC motors that have higher efficiency than the previous generation motors and have gradually replaced their previous generation motors due to their optimal energy consumption,” Sepahkar said.
He described the electric motor of evaporative coolers as another achievement of his company's researchers, saying, "These motors, when replaced with the current motors of evaporative coolers, will improve the energy efficiency of water coolers by 30 percent and significantly reduce water and electricity consumption."
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Spray to Stop Bleeding
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in producing and manufacturing a spray that can stop capillary and superficial bleeding.
“This spray is made based on recycled oxidized cellulose and is suitable for stopping capillary and superficial bleeding,” Reza Sayyah, a manager of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“The bleeding-stopping spray creates a thin layer on the wound that not only stops bleeding but also prevents re-bleeding. This spray is suitable for stopping bleeding caused by cuts, scrapes, and small, superficial tears,” he added.
Sayyah described stopping bleeding in 30 seconds, reducing pain from the injury, and being non-toxic, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing as some of the benefits of this spray, and said, “To use this spray, the bleeding site must first be cleaned. Then the can of the spray should be shaken well and the powder should be sprayed onto the wound from a distance of 20 centimeters, covering the desired area.”
Iranian Researchers Indigenize Electromagnetic Device for Research Work
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in designing and making an electromagnetic device which facilitates the process of conducting research by creating a variable and controllable magnetic field.
“The electromagnetic device is used to create strong, stable and controllable magnetic fields. This device creates a variable and controlled magnetic field for conducting research and has interchangeable poles and adjustable distances between them,” said Fazlollah Borna, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“This product is used in physics laboratories, medical schools, research activities, NMR, etc.,” he added.
“Laboratory research that requires a strong and controllable magnetic field in the fields of basic sciences, agriculture, biology, and medicine are among the customers of this device,” Borna said.
Advanced Iran-Made Nanocatalysts Used for Sweetening Sour Gases in Refineries
Researchers at a knowledge-based company in Iran facilitated the process of sweetening sour gases in refineries by producing advanced nanocatalysts, including activated alumina-based sulfur recovery nanocatalysts.
This company, which produces various advanced nanocatalysts and nanosorbents, has produced and offered activated alumina-based sulfur recovery nanocatalysts to the country's industries for this purpose.
Three important categories of the company's nanocatalysts have been used in Ilam and Hasheminejad refineries, various phases of South Pars, and Khark petrochemical company, and have played a significant role in settling the problem of sweetening sour gases in refineries.
Due to their unique characteristics, these strategic nanoproducts replace many of the previous imported products in various industries.
Sulfur recovery nanocatalysts in the Claus section of gas refineries, reforming nanocatalysts in the steelmaking industry, nanostructured gamma alumina and nanostructured alpha alumina in the industrial and engineering ceramics industries, and nanostructured active alumina have many applications as nanosorbents in the compressed air and industrial compressor industries.
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