According to NISOC, Saeid Kuti, the company's production manager, said: "More than 80% of the chemicals used by the company are demulsifiers that are used in desalination plants to separate water and salt from crude oil, which is very strategic for NISOC.”

He added: “Localization of this strategic item is being performed in a variety of ways, including localization of demulsifiers using nano compounds to increase their efficiency, as well as preparation of environmentally friendly demulsifiers in collaboration with research and scientific centers.”

Kuti said, previously, all the demulsifiers used in NISOC had to be imported which incurred dependence and high costs.

"Since the beginning of this year (which began on March 21), by optimizing consumption and conducting a series of process correction, as well as careful and systematic monitoring, we have been able to save over 3,800 barrels of the item which has helped up save Rl. 270 billion in expenses of the company,” he added.

Demulsifiers, or emulsion breakers, are a class of specialty chemicals used to separate emulsions, for example, water in oil. They are commonly used in the processing of crude oil, which is typically produced along with significant quantities of saline water.