Young American researcher wins Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2021
Eshani Jha from the USA has received the prestigious 2021 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for research on how to remove contaminants from water. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the official patron of the prize, announced the winner on August 24 during an award ceremony as part of World Water Week.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is an international competition where students between the ages of 15 and 20 present solutions to major water challenges. This year the event was held online.
The winner Eshani Jha is a student at Lynbrook High School in San José, California. She has done research on how to remove contaminants from freshwater in a simple and cost-effective way. The process involves replacing active carbon with biochar for use in efficient and cheap water filters.
“I am honored to receive this prize, particularly with so many excellent contributions from around the world,” said Jha. “I hope we can work together in the years to come, for a better water world. We really are the future of water-related science.”
Her invention targets certain classes of contaminants, particularly pesticides, emerging contaminants, and heavy metals. She explains that she has enhanced the biochar’s ability to act like a sponge for these contaminants, creating a “super sponge.”
“I see a multitude of applications for this, and I also see great potential in targeting other contaminants too,” she said. “My ambition is that this should be a one-stop water filter.”
The Jury noted that: “Water contamination is a growing problem around the world, with new contaminants discovered and increasing concentrations of existing pollutants being recorded. The simplicity of this solution is that it addresses multiple, varied contaminants with a single device, and that device is potentially scalable to global use, with the added benefit of localized manufacture.”
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize has been organized every year since 1997 by the Stockholm International Water Institute, SIWI, with Xylem as a founding partner. Xylem’s sponsorship of the prize is part of the company’s commitment to engaging and championing the next generation of water innovators and stewards.
A Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Thanawit Namjaidee and Future Kongchu from Thailand, for developing a way to use organic waste material for moisture retention, thereby accelerating plant growth.
The People’s Choice Award went to Gabriel Fernandes Mello Ferreira from Brazil for developing a microplastic retention mechanism for water treatment. Over 55,000 people voted in the People’s Choice Award.
“Stockholm Junior Water Prize celebrates young people’s determination to be part of a better future,” said Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director at Stockholm International Water Institute. “The passion and ingenuity that all participants show is truly inspiring and an important contribution to the global water world.”
“These winners are part of a global movement,” said Patrick Decker, Xylem’s CEO. “We’re so inspired by them – and all 125,000 entrants in 25 years of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. A generation of young people, motivated to solve society’s biggest water challenges, can and are changing the world. We’re so proud to champion their innovation by sponsoring this great prize.”
Watch Xylem’s video about the next generation of water innovators.
Read about the 2021 Stockholm Junior Water Prize finalists.
Learn about Xylem’s youth program Xylem Ignite.
For more information about the prize visit: www.siwi.org/prizes.