British project to reduce PFAS pollution wins Stockholm Junior Water Prize
STOCKHOLM, 27 August 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Christopher Whitfield and Wenqi (Jonathan) Zhao of the United Kingdom will receive the prestigious 2024 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for their work on PFAS pollution in the Thames Basin. Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the winners with their award during a ceremony during World Water Week in Stockholm.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution is a growing problem worldwide. Whitfield and Zhao focused on the Thames Basin in the United Kingdom, where there are no equitable solutions to the problem, and developed a geospatial neural network that predicts PFAS levels to within 10 percent of experimentally validated levels.
For this, they were declared winners of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an international competition in which students between the ages of 15 and 20 present solutions to major water problems.
Commenting on his award win, Zhao said: “We are very proud to have won this award. It was a fantastic stay here in Sweden with so many new friends.”
The jury noted that Whitfield and Zhao “find a way to take data and turn it into actionable knowledge. (They have) identified PFAS hotspots using machine learning, tested their results in the field, developed a low-cost filtration system, and reached out to local governments and environmental organizations to raise awareness.”
The awards were presented to the winners by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the official patron of the award, at an awards ceremony held during World Water Week.
The Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Shanni Valeria Mora Fajardo and Rosa Mendoza Sosa from Mexico for their work on the reuse of colored water through homemade filtration to create vegetable gardens.
The People’s Choice Award went to Manoel José Nunes Neto from Brazil, completing the list of winners.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize has been awarded annually since 1997. It is organized by the Stockholm Water Foundation, with Xylem as founding partner.
“Innovation is paving the way to a more water-secure world, and the next generation is accelerating progress. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize entrants are an inspiring example of the ingenuity and passion shown by young innovators. On behalf of Xylem, I want to congratulate everyone who entered this year’s competition,” said Austin Alexander, Vice President of Sustainability and Social Impact at Xylem.
Read more about the winning projects:
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Contacts
Andreas Karlsson
Head of Communications, Stockholm International Water Institute
Email: [email protected], Mobile: +46 (0) 720 506078
