A knowledge-based company has successfully designed an electrodialysis system for desalination that can meet part of Iran’s needs for drinking water.
Given the declining rainfall, growing population and the rising industrial demand for water worldwide, desalination is the best option for countries with access to seawater. Nevertheless, the process is expensive and consumes a great deal of energy, the news portal of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology reported.
However, with the design of an electrodialysis process, which consumes less energy, the Payamavaran Nanotechnology Fardanegar Company has been able to provide a cost-effective solution using nanotechnology for desalination.
The process uses an electrochemical technique, whereby contaminants are removed from the aqueous solution using anionic and cationic membranes with the help of an electric current.
Some features of this domestic desalination process include the possibility of desalination of both brackish water and seawater with an efficiency of 85-95%, consumption of less energy compared to other methods, membranes lasting more than five years, low operating costs and no need for pre-treatment.
Experts and technologists have been using different processes to bring seawater into the consumption cycle in the most environmentally friendly and inexpensive way.
In Iran, knowledge-based and creative companies have started to localize these processes to alleviate the country's chronic water deficit.
Superior Water, Wastewater Ozone Analyzers
A domestic knowledge-based company has developed ozone analyzers that can evaluate and measure the quality parameters of drinking water and treated wastewater.
“These analyzers are designed to conform with domestic conditions and electricity fluctuations. Water and sewage companies are their main buyers,” Shahab Zarrin Ghobai, CEO of Abzar Daqiq Aab Azma Company, said.
The company’s ozone analyzers assess chlorine, oxygen, nitrate, turbidity, color and hardness in drinking water and treated wastewater.
If the amount of chlorine is higher than the standard amount, it carries carcinogenic risks, and if it is lower, the water will not be adequately sterilized. Therefore, the analyzer helps ensure that the water’s constituent elements are within an acceptable limit.
In the past, these products were imported from Germany and the United States, but for the past three years, most Iranian cities have been using domestic products.
These analyzers are installed at the outlets of water treatment plants to control the amount of chlorine, at the network junction to prevent the entry of contaminants and in water and sewage tanks.
The price of foreign analyzers is fourfold higher than that of their domestic counterparts. As sanctions prevented imports, those imported in the past also remained unused due to a lack of spare parts.
As advanced technology is involved in these products, only a few companies can produce them. At present, the domestic product has been exported to Turkmenistan and Iraq.
Data transfer to the control center is not secure in the foreign products, while the domestic products’ servers are localized and updated from time to time so they don’t face such a problem.
Ultrasonic Water Meter Marked by High Efficacy, Low Price
A knowledge-based company has designed a smart water meter with very high accuracy and additional features to replace mechanical meters.
“The ultrasonic smart water meter has higher accuracy than traditional mechanical meters,” Abolfazl Jan Fada, CEO of knowledge-based Be Saaz-e-Energy Company, said.
In a housing unit under construction, a water meter is installed on the inlet pipe and another on the outlet pipe so that the difference between incoming and outgoing water helps calculate the amount of hot water consumed.
Using this product, it is possible to measure the consumption of water and thermal energy in different parts of the building to calculate the water and gas bills of each housing unit, as well as in the industrial sector.
The meter measures fluid velocity, instantaneous and volumetric flow, direction of water movement, meter operation time and water temperature.
The lifespan of this meter is 2-3 times that of mechanical meters and due to its very small measurement error, it helps the customer pay the real water bill.
With this product, the water flow can be turned off for a consumer who exceed the consumption pattern, or refuses to pay the water bill.
This meter is marketed at a lower price, which can compete with similar European models.
The software and hardware of this product have been designed by the company’s workforce and direct employment has been created for 20 people.
