Iran Starts Major Project to Treat Wastewater with Cold Plasma

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has embarked upon a major project in the southern city of Shiraz where it will use cold plasma technology to treat wastewater.

The official IRNA news agency said in a Monday report that AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami had traveled to Shiraz over the weekend to supervise the signing of a contract between the city’s municipality and the Iranian presidency’s office for science and technology.

The contract will enable Shiraz to launch the first wastewater treatment project in Iran using a home-grown version of the cold plasma technology developed by AEOI scientists.

Cold plasma is a product of the ionization of a gas by applying electrical energy. The eco-friendly technology has shown efficacy in degrading complex organic pollutants, making it suitable for large-scale wastewater treatment projects.

The IRNA report quoted Eslami as saying that the project will open in 16 months in the Barmshour landfill near Shiraz, adding that it will treat some 100 cubic meters of wastewater every day to produce water for irrigation purposes.

“This is a major step on the path to tackle water shortage and to protect the environment,” he said, adding that the AEOI has successfully finished a pilot phase of the project before moving it to an industrial-scale process.

Iranian landfills receive more than 61 million metric tons of waste each year. The country has introduced major plans for waste recycling, including power plants running on solid waste and modern systems for wastewater treatment.

However, official figures show that only 10-17% of waste in Iran is recycled, far from the 70% milestone reported in modern economies. Shiraz is Iran’s fourth-largest city and the largest urban center in the country’s south. Its Barmshour landfill is spread across an area of 5,000 hectares, making it one of the biggest in the country. - Press TV