H.R.H.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the 2012 Stockholm Junior
Water Prize at an award ceremony at the World Water Week in Stockholm.
The winners were students Luigi Marshall Cham, Jun Yong Nicholas Lim and
Tian Ting Carrie-Anne Ng from Singapore.
The three 18 year olds from
Singapore won the Stockholm Water Prize for their research on how clay
can be used to remove and recover pollutants from wastewater. The
compounds studied are so called non-ionic surfactants, soap-like
additives which are used in industry as well as in household detergents
and cosmetic products. They are common pollutants to wastewater that are
hard to remove and current techniques used to treat them produce
hazardous sludge which is difficult to dispose of. Luigi Marshall Cham,
Jun Yong Nicholas Lim and Tian Ting Carrie-Anne Ng have developed a
method where bentonite clay is used to remove, and recover, the
pollutants from the water without the generation of any waste products.
The clay is able to absorb up to 100% of the non-ionic surfactants and
can then be flushed clean with alcohol, allowing the compounds to be
reused. "This year’s winning project shows the possibility of using a
lower cost method to decrease an important water environment problem,
which is relevant all over the world. The study does not only present an
efficient way to remove a toxicant, but also a novel way to recover and
reuse materials which would otherwise be discarded as waste," said
the International Jury in its citation. Minimising the generation of
hazardous waste from wastewater treatment will be even more important in
the future since the processing, transportation and disposal of them
require increasing amounts of space and energy as the world’s population
and economy continue to grow. The jury was deeply impressed by the
winning team’s comprehension of the complex challenges which was
demonstrated both in the laboratory and in their analysis of their
innovations prospects to be scale up for industrial use. Upon hearing
the announcement, the Singapore team said they were both very excited
and surprised. "We didn’t expect it. We are very happy. When we
return home we will propose our idea to the Public Utility Board of
Singapore (PUB) and hopefully they will implement it," they said after receiving the prize.
The
international Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together
the world’s brightest young scientists to encourage their continued
interest in water and the environment. This year, thousands of
participants in countries all over the globe joined national
competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the
international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm. Teams
from 27 countries competed in the 2012 finals.The international winner
receives a USD 5,000 award and a prize sculpture. "We are truly
honoured to be part of this very important competition with young people
that are as excited about and interested in water as we are," said
Angela Buonocore, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer
of Xylem Inc., the global sponsor of the Stockholm Water Prize. "We
are genuinely impressed by the quality of the entries from around the
world and are inspired by their innovative ideas. We congratulate all of
the finalists and the very worthy winners from Singapore this year."
Diploma of Excellence to students from Chile –
A Diploma of Excellence was given to Alonso Alvarez and Daniel
Barrientos from Chile for their project which outlined how salmon waste
from the fishing industry can be used for biofuel production. The
international Jury noted how the project applied systems thinking to
address a growing water-related environmental problem in a community.
They also pointed out that the team had worked extensively over a two
year period show how fuel and other useful products can be generated
from the wastes under the conditions specific to their locality, thereby
presenting a practical approach that can increase the value chain
associated with a growing local industry.