Food Processing Plant Using Plasma Technology Opens South of Iran

mahla — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 22:27:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) Known as the first Iranian food processing plant using plasma technology for the sterilization and decontamination of food products, the factory came into operation in the city of Rafsanjan, a hub of pistachio cultivation.

The factory has the capacity to process three tons of products an hour.

In the first phase of operation, the plant is expected to decontaminate and process 6,000 tons of nuts per annum, such as pistachios, almonds, and peanuts, as well as cereal crops and legumes such as corn and oil grains.

Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuffs to rays to kill bacteria that can cause food-borne disease and to increase shelf-life. It has the same benefits as when food is heated, refrigerated, frozen, or treated with chemicals, but does not change the temperature or leave residues.

In all parts of the world, there is growing use of irradiation technology to preserve food. More than 60 countries worldwide have introduced regulations allowing the use of irradiation for food products including spices, grains, fruit, vegetables, and meat.

It can replace potentially harmful chemical fumigants used to eliminate insects from dried fruit and grain.

According to FAO, nuclear techniques help national authorities in over 50 countries to improve food safety by addressing the problem of harmful residues and contaminants in food products and to improve their traceability systems with stable isotope analysis.

The post Food Processing Plant Using Plasma Technology Opens South of Iran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Medical waste disposal become possible using plasma technology in Iran

reporter 1222 — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 08:01:04 +0000

Plasma gasification is an extreme thermal process using plasma which converts organic matter into a syngas which is primarily made up of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A plasma torch powered by an electric arc is used to ionize gas and catalyze organic matter into syngas, with slag remaining as a byproduct. It is used commercially as a form of waste treatment and has been tested for the gasification of municipal solid waste, biomass, industrial waste, hazardous waste, and solid hydrocarbons, such as coal, oil sands, petcock and oil shale.

Considering numerous problems encountered in medical and urban waste management in the country, we decided to employ high technology to overcome them, Mahmood Quran-Nevis, an official with Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has said.

He went on to add that currently, autoclaves are used as waste disposal facilities in hospitals; the temperature of the autoclave is 130 degrees and most of the bacteria are not killed and subsequently they can contribute to various environmental problems.

Referring to the foreign countries reluctance to provide us with high technology machines, he noted that regarding the importance of medical waste disposal and disinfection, we managed to domestically produce the necessary equipment needed for healthcare waste treatment and disposal.

He went on to state that the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, Plasma Physics Research Center, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, and some domestic companies have cooperated in this regard.

The technology employs plasma torches which increase temperatures up to 1,700 degrees inside the reactor, disposes the waste and separates hazardous gases by a filter, he noted, highlighting, based on environment assessments the gases the device produce are completely safe having no harmful effects.

The remains are kind of compressed solid at the bottom of the reactor which can be used for the reinforcing buildings or making decorative items, he also explained.

Using this method dose not entail waste segregation, and all sorts of waste disposed can be disposed in the machine, while in the waste incinerator normally glass, metal and plastic must be separated before dumping the waste into the reactor, he also said.

Quran-Nevis also added that as a result, most of the bacterial contamination is not eradicated, and this is a big problem as it can infect groundwater or soil and result in production of leachate.

Due to the complexity of the technology used in plasma gasification plants it might be developed in the future, he stated, adding that, currently the plants has a capacity of 1 to 5 tons per day which can be increased in the future to dispose healthcare waste in greater number of hospitals nationwide.

He went on to say that designing plants with capacity of up to 50 tons per day also allows the energy output to be converted to electricity which can even be sold.

In the future, we can export the devices to the regional countries as well, he concluded.

Kiyoumars Kalantari, head of the waste management working group affiliated to Department of Environment said in July 2018 that some 115 tons of medical waste is being generated on a daily basis in the province of Tehran. He also regretted that despite the efforts made by the Ministry of Health, except for a few of the hospitals, medical waste is not being regulated in other health-care providing centers.

Deputy supervisor for Tehran City Council Afshin Habibzadeh also announced that some 60 tons of medical waste containing infectious toxic substances, is being stockpiled daily on Arad mountain in Kahrizak, southern part of the capital.

According to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, improper management of discarded needles and other sharps can pose a health risk to the public and waste workers. For example, discarded needles may expose waste workers to potential needle stick injuries and potential infection when containers break open inside garbage trucks or needles are mistakenly sent to recycling facilities. Janitors and housekeepers also risk injury if loose sharps poke through plastic garbage bags. Used needles can transmit serious diseases, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis.

Measures to ensure the safe and environmentally sound management of health care wastes can prevent adverse health and environmental impacts from such waste including the unintended release of chemical or biological hazards, including drug-resistant microorganisms, into the environment thus protecting the health of patients, health workers, and the general public.

The post Medical waste disposal become possible using plasma technology in Iran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

plasma technology Archives - Iran News Daily

Food Processing Plant Using Plasma Technology Opens South of Iran

Medical waste disposal become possible using plasma technology in Iran