UK project to reduce PFAS pollution is awarded Stockholm Junior Water Prize

27.8.2024 23:29:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Christopher Whitfield and Wenqi (Jonathan) Zhao from the United Kingdom receive the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2024 for their work on PFAS pollution in the Thames Basin. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the winners with their award during a ceremony at World Water Week in Stockholm.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution is a growing concern worldwide. Focusing on the Thames Basin in the United Kingdom, where there are with no equitable solutions to the problem, Whitfield and Zhao developed a geospatial neural network, predicting PFAS values to within 10 percent of experimentally validated values.

For this, they were announced the winners of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an international competition where students between the ages of 15 and 20 present solutions to major water challenges.

Speaking on winning the prize, Zhao said, “We are very proud to have won this prize. It has been an amazing 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, field tested their results, developed a cost-effective filtration system, and reached out to local governments and environmental organizations to raise awareness.”

The winners were presented with their prize during an award ceremony at World Water Week by HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the Prize’s Official Patron.

The Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Shanni Valeria Mora Fajardo and Rosa Mendoza Sosa from Mexico for their work on how to reuse inked water with homemade filtration to produce veggie gardens.

The People’s Choice Award went to Manoel José Nunes Neto from Brazil, completing the line-up of winners.

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize has been organized every year since 1997. It is hosted 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 are accelerating progress. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize competitors are an inspiring example of the ingenuity and passion young innovators bring to the table. On behalf of Xylem, I’d like to congratulate all those who took part in this year’s competition,” said Austin Alexander, Vice President of Sustainability and Social Impact at Xylem.

Read more about the winning projects:

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240827691002/en/

Contacts

Andreas Karlsson
Head of Communication, Stockholm International Water Institute
Email: andreas.karlsson@siwi.org, Mobile: +46 (0) 720 506078

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Codethink Opens Early Access to IEC 61508 Mapping for the Eclipse Trustable Software Framework11.3.2026 09:07:00 EET | Press release

EMBEDDED WORLD--Codethink today opened early access to its mapping between the Eclipse Trustable Software Framework (TSF) and IEC 61508, the international standard governing the functional safety of electrical and electronic systems. The mapping establishes a transparent relationship between the engineering principles of the Trustable Software Framework and the objectives defined in IEC 61508. By making this work available as an early preview, Codethink is inviting organisations interested in applying open source approaches to functional safety to review and begin working with the mapping while the work continues to mature. IEC 61508 forms the foundation of many domain-specific safety standards, including ISO 26262 for automotive systems. The early access reflects Codethink’s long-standing commitment to open development of software engineering methods. “This preview release reflects our belief that trust in software must be engineered in the open," said Paul Sherwood, Codethink’s Chair

FERM FOOD Acquires Orkla’s Former Site and Scales Up: Up to 20,000 Tonnes of Fermented Ingredients Per Year11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release

Danish ingredient producer FERM FOOD is acquiring Orkla’s former manufacturing site in Skovlund, Denmark, effective 1 April 2026. The acquisition provides new production facilities to expand the output of fermented plant-based ingredients for the food industry — driven by export demand that has emerged faster than expected. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310904877/en/ Jens Legarth (CEO), Rikke Matthiesen (CSO), and Torbjørn Tyndkjær-Thomsen (Food & Process Developer) at FERM FOOD’s new production facilities. “We have outgrown our current facilities. With the Skovlund site, we can supply many more food manufacturers in Denmark and abroad. Global interest has developed faster than we expected — and that is why we are scaling up now,” says Jens Legarth, CEO of FERM FOOD. Once fully ramped up, the new fermentation facility is expected to reach an annual capacity of up to 20,000 tonnes, depending on product mix

Galderma Buys Back Shares Worth CHF 232 Million in the Context of Accelerated Bookbuild Offering11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release

Galderma (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that it has agreed to repurchase 1.6 million shares at a price of CHF 143.75 per share for a total consideration of CHF 232 million in the context of the accelerated bookbuild offering (“ABO”) of Galderma shares by Sunshine SwissCo GmbH (“EQT”), Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Private Equities Department) and Auba Investment Pte. Ltd. (all together the “Selling Shareholders”) launched yesterday evening. The repurchase was made at the same price per share determined by the bookbuilding offering. As a result of yesterday evening’s ABO, the Selling Shareholders have fully divested their remaining stake in Galderma. The repurchase, which is expected to settle on March 13 is being financed by Galderma’s existing liquidity on hand and will not affect the company’s ability to deliver on its strategic and financing priorities. The shares will be held in treasury for future use in connection with Galderma's employe

Thales Launches SkyDefender: The Integral Air and Missile Defence Dome With Artificial Intelligence11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release

As air and missile threats are evolving faster than ever, from slow-moving drones to hypersonic missiles, attacks are becoming increasingly complex, saturating and unpredictable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310398606/en/ SkyDefender © Thales Thales SkyDefender provides full protection against all types of air threats, from a few kilometres to several thousands of kilometres: Short-range: for protection of forces, vital assets and sensitive sites: ForceShield creates a real protection bubble against lower layer and surface threats at very short- and short-range, such as drones. Medium-range: for protection at theatre-level defence: SAMP-T NG by eurosam1 with up to 150 km engagement range, including Thales’ powerful Ground Fire radar with 350 km range and 360°/90° coverage against medium-range defence. Long-range: for protection against long-range threats with early-warning capabilities: a unique capacity

Curatis and Neupharma Announce Exclusive Licensing Agreement to Develop and Market Corticorelin (C-PTBE-01) for the Treatment of Peritumoral Brain Edema in Japan11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release

Curatis Holding AG (SIX: CURN) and Neupharma Co., Ltd. (“Neupharma”), a Japanese pharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, immunology, pulmonology and cardiology disorders, today announce an exclusive license and development agreement for corticorelin (C-PTBE-01) in Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, Neupharma will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize corticorelin for the treatment of peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) in Japan. PTBE is a tumor-associated condition for which no approved targeted therapies currently exist. Neupharma will finance and conduct a pivotal clinical trial in Japan to support filing for approval in Japan. Curatis will receive upfront and milestone payments for the achievement of regulatory and commercial targets totaling up to CHF 83.5 million, as well as royalties on future sales in Japan of up to 20%. The agreement stipulates that corticorelin is planned to be introduced in Japan initially for children and adolescents. A meeting with

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom