Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan expects to commission its first sterilization installation by the end of the first quarter of 2016, a source close to the project told Trend.

The project is being developed by the Hungarian Institute of Isotopes, which won the tender announced earlier by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The sterilization plant will be located in the village of Gobu, 20 km from Baku, in an area owned by the Center for Nuclear Research. Currently, work is underway on the construction of infrastructure in the area where the sterilization installation will be located.

Cobalt isotopes (cobalt-60), which are currently widely used in many industries, will be used for gamma radiation. It is designed for the sterilization of medical instruments and food and for stimulating the growth of crop and vegetable yields.

Irradiation carried out in a sterilization plant is the most advanced method of killing germs, experts believe.

Gamma radiation sterilization, one of the most penetrative types of energy, cause significant cell damage at even low dosage, thus killing germs, without damaging the material.

There is an international list of products that can be subjected to radiation at harmless doses. The list includes wheat, dried fruit, spices, meat and meat products, wine, potatoes, and other agricultural goods.

Sterilization by way of gamma radiation destroys microbes, which in turn will increase the shelf life of agricultural products including grains, meat, dried fruit, potatoes, as well as medicines, etc.

Dosimetric and microbiological laboratories that will control quality are also expected to be installed at the plant. After sterilization, the presence or absence of microorganisms in the products will be checked in the laboratories.

The Turkish company Tetra Technological Systems will supply equipment to study the properties of materials at high temperatures.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

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