FINALISTS
2007 STOCKHOLMJUNIOR WATER PRIZEThe Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Water and Young People – Linked to the Future
The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize contest
aims to encourage young people’s interest in issues concerning water and the environment.
The award is given annually for an outstanding water project by
a young person or a small group of young people. With this, thecompetition seeks to inspire young people to a continued engagement in water and related subjects.
While the global water environment remains in peril, the future
depends on our ability to manage this life-sustaining resource.
Today’s youth are indeed tomorrow’s leaders and must be encouraged to pursue water-related careers or our scarce supply risk
further erosion.
The ﬁnalists at the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize
competition are the winners of national SJWP contests. The national
and international competitions are open to pre-university people
between 15–20 years of age who have conducted water related
projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics ofenvironmental, scientiﬁc, social or technological importance.
The winner of the international Stockholm Junior Water Prizereceives a USD 5,000 award and a blue crystal sculpture in the shapeof a water droplet. The national competitions have inspired young
people around the world to become active in water issues.

H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is the Patron of
the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

The SJWP International Nominating Committee
The international Nominating Committee includes experts within
the ﬁeld of water and by committee consensus appoints thewinner of the international contest. The decision is based on
the written report and on a short presentation of the display
material. The Stockholm Water Foundation Board appoints theCommittee members.
2007 Nominating Committee members are:
Dr. Magnus Enell (Chair), Sweden
Mr. Björn von Euler, USA
Ms. Mercy Dikito-Wachtmeister, Sweden
Dr. Nighisty Ghezae, Sweden
Ms. Linda Kelly, USA
Prof. C.S. Kiang , China
Ms. Tabeth Matiza-Chiuta, South Africa
Associated Prof. Ines Restrepo-Tarquino, Colombia
Ms. Elin Weyler (Secretary), SIWI, Sweden

Last year's international Nominating Committee members.

Finalists 2007

Micro organisms living in water can spread illnesses andthreaten human health. In addition, large water supplies,
particularly in the state of La Pampa’s northern region,
have naturally high levels of arsenic in the groundwater.
If consumed, arsenic can cause serious health problems.
Although 93% of the population in La Pampa has accesspotable water, rural areas depend upon ground water supplies contaminated by arsenic. These rural areas include a
massive cattle population consisting of 3,500,000 animals
that consume this contaminated water, further threatening
human and animal health.
Realising the seriousness of this problem, the Argentinean
ﬁnalists have designed a device which turns non-potablewater into potable. The two-stage process starts with sterilisation through ultraviolet light, which not only eliminates the
micro organisms but also oxidises the arsenic. The second
stage of the process uses a series of ﬁlters to remove thearsenates. The prototype has been analysed from a technological, economical, functional and structural point of view,and the ﬁnalists believe that this device will improve potablewater supply throughout the world.
The Identification of Critical Salinity Thresholds
for Upper Estuarine Plants
By Robbi Bishop-Taylor
With increasing water extraction and decreasing rainfall,
Australia faces a crucial need to devise environmental-ﬂow
restrictions to protect its national estuaries. To do this, information on critical salinity thresholds for important estuarine
plants is urgently required. Through detailed experimental
work, the Australian ﬁnalist has provided such information
on ﬁve species of Australian upper-estuarine plants.
A pilot experiment identiﬁed workable plant species, determined stress characteristics, and made initial estimates of thecritical salinity thresholds. The main experiment exposed ﬁve
plant species to twelve variations in salinity concentrations
over a one month period. After the experiment was replicated,
the salinity concentrations marking the greatest change in thepercentage of stressed plants were determined as the “criticalsalinity threshold.” The thresholds for the species were: 1-2
parts per trillion (ppt) for Potamogeton octandrus, 2-3 ppt
for Vallisneria nana and Lomandra hystrix, and 8-10 ppt for
Hydrilla verticillata and Myriophyllum verrucosum.
These thresholds will likely help in developing environmental ﬂow restrictions for estuaries, which could minimise
damage from water extraction, and help preserve Australia’svaluable estuarine environments.

BELARUS

Plant for Arsenic Removal from Water
By Agustín Losano and Agustín Perez

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

ARGENTINA

Finalists 2007
Greening the Milk Industry in Belarus – Whey
Bioconversion for Natural Water Protection and
Biogas Production

By Usevalad Ihumnau
Each year, the natural waters of Belarus are polluted by overone million tonnes of discharged milk whey. The Belarusian
project sought to increase the efﬁciency of whey bioconversion into methane, which could be used as fuel.
Usevalad Ihumnau developed a method to accelerate theprocess of bioconversion. For his experiments, he built small
scale methane reactors from plastic bottles and started aprocess of whey fermentation. The research showed that theapplication of electric currents led to a considerable increasein the methane content of biogas. Further, the application of
the electrical current stabilises the conversion process andincreases the output of methane per volume unit of whey.
The research suggests that collection and fermentation ofwhey may be valuable as a biofuel for use as an alternative energy
source and and as additional income to the dairy industry. The
natural waters of Belarus would beneﬁt from a nutrient reduction,
which could result from increased bioconversion of whey. Dairy
industry experts applauded the work and it has already been
recommended for application at dairy factories in Belarus.
Kick That Salt Away
By Simon Bourgault-Côté and Alexis St-Gelais
The “Kick That Salt Away” project aims to remove the mostabundant salts from sea water through a chemical process.
Before developing their own process, the Canadian ﬁnalists tested and evaluated existing physical desalinisation
processes. They also examined alternative methods suchas ﬁltration, freezing, centrifugation and an anion exchange
column. They found that distillation and reverse osmosis were
efﬁcient but energy consuming. Reverse osmosis required
regular changing of ﬁlters. The anion exchange column has
great potential but is at present both time consuming andexpensive.
The study developed a six step chemical process to
efﬁciently remove magnesium, calcium, sulphate, chloride,potassium and sodium ions from water. Techniques such as
precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction and chemical products
conversion were used to create the process.
Bourgault-Côté and St-Gelais will continue working on
optimising the process for next year by removing a weakreaction with potassium, lowering the costs of the treatment,
and removing the remaining non-toxic sodium bicarbonate
through the use of ﬂocculates.

3

There are two types of plants found in continental fresh
water – algae, in the form of unicellular organisms and microorganisms, and – macrophytes, aquatic vascular plants.
Angelo Belmar and Nicolás Cerda examined if the acidityof continental fresh water was affected by the presence ofmacrophytes. Their hypothesis was that the large capacity ofplants to carry out photosynthesis, which generates certain
byproducts such as carbonates and bicarbonates, would
affect the pH of water containing macrophytes.
The species chosen for the project were the Southern Cat
Tail, the Common Water Hyacinth and the Brazilian waterweed.
From their experiments they concluded that the presence ofvascular aquatic plants considerably alters the acidity of continental fresh water. The Brazilian waterweed Egeria densa was the
species which resulted in the most pH differences. It averaged
pH 6.5 compared to the control sample of pH 5.7. The students
concluded that their the use of vascular aquatic plants is an
inexpensive alternative to lower the acidiﬁcation of continental
fresh water, and could also be applied to waste waters.
The Biochemical Detoxification of Heavy Metals
and its Application to the Water-soil Environment
in the Agricultural Wetlands of the Pearl River
Delta, China
By Yang Guo, Junhong Wu and Sisi Yu
The rapid industrial and agricultural development of thesouthern Chinese Pearl River Delta has left the region’s waters
and agricultural soils seriously polluted. State surveys claim
the content of heavy metals in the delta’s vegetable patches
exceeds desired levels by 40% .
The project aimed to ﬁnd new, efﬁcient and practicalalternatives to conventional methods for heavy metal decontamination. In order to trace and show the changes of heavy
metals in the waters and soils, the study examined changes in
the heavy metal content of several typical vegetables under
different environmental conditions. The experiments used
the synergic methods of microbes and acid-base buffering.
The group successfully found ways to screen the microbes
by modifying the acid-base conditions of soils and merge
microbes with acid-base buffering. The synergic applicationof Azotobacter chroococcum and white lime both inhibitedthe frequent transport of heavy metals between water andsoil in the wetlands, and effectively reduced secondary pollution. This method could be used in the remediation of thewater-soil environment in the Pearl River Delta.

4

DENMARK

Presence of Vascular Aquatic Plants in Continental
Fresh Water and Their Relation with pH
By Angelo Belmar and Nicolás Cerda

ESTONIA

CHINA

CHILE

Finalists 2007
The European Eel
By Kirstine Fleng Steffensen
European eel breeds in the Saragasso Sea, where the eellarvae drift or swim with the Gulf Stream to Europe, develop
into glass-eels that can mature into adult eels. It is presumed
that they swim back to the Sargasso Sea eight to ﬁfteen years
later. Research concerning the eel-larvae’s swimming abilities,
or speciﬁcally their energy consumption levels during slow
or fast swimming, can give more information about the life
cycles and migration patterns of European eels.
The study hypothesises that if the energy consumption
was known it could be estimated whether the eels are able
to swim from the Sargasso Sea to Northern Europe on theirown, or if they instead ﬂoat with the current. Another important aspect is whether it is possible to make them breed in
captivity. European eel-farmers currently rely on wild caught
glass-eels. The European eel population is only about 1% ofwhat it was about 30 years ago. The international commission
for exploration of the sea has suggested that the European
Union ban all ﬁshing for eels for several years, but such aban has still not been imposed. Perhaps it is already too lateto save the species?
Reducing Formation of Scale with Magnetic
Descaler
By Maria Orb
The Estonian town of Jõgeva has hard water, which causes
high levels of scale when heated. This makes heatingwater more energy consumptive. Though the method issometimes met with scepticism, Maria Orb wanted to
explore the impact of magnetic treatment of water on theformation of scale.
The study compared an Elcla magnetic descaler anda homemade scale preventer composed of old computer
hard discs. Test results showed that magnetic descaler
reduces scaling. Heating of non-treated water left 0.33 g ofsediment, heating of water descaled with Elcla 0.04 g (8.3
times less) and heating of water treated with home-mademagnetic device 0.09 g of sediment (3.7 times less). Thus,
magnetic descalers effectively and signiﬁcantly reduce thesedimentation of scale.
Permanent magnetic devices have multiple advantages.
First, they are maintenance-free while retaining their magnetic properties for decades. Moreover, they can be madeat home and do not consume any additional resources after
completion. Finally, they can even prolong the usefulness ofan old computer by recycling old hard discs and transforming
them into descalers.

The quantity of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea and in the
fresh waters of Finland has increased in recent years. Some
species are toxic and harmful to humans; the toxicity of thesame cyanobacteria species, however, varies depending onwhether they live in fresh or brackish water.
Heidi Heinonen investigated possible reasons for variationin cyanobacteria toxicity by comparing properties of two water
bodies they inhabit: the Baltic Sea and Lake Kallavesi. Cyanobacteria appeared in warm waters, but no signiﬁcant differenceswere found due to temperature differences. Cyanobacteriacaused an increase in the pH values of the waters, where larger
cyanobacteria populations consumed more oxygen.
A signiﬁcant difference in the pH values and oxygen content
of the Baltic Sea and Lake Kallavesi was detected. Also, thedepth where cyanobacteria were found differed, which could
suggest cyanobacteria have adapted to each ecosystem differently by developing different levels of toxicity. Heidi concludes
that further research is needed to account for which factor has
the largest effect on cyanobacteria levels and if this property
can be used to control the amount of cyanobacteria in water.
When Science and Art Come Together
By Laura Dondelle and Timothée Penot
The sustainable development policy of the horticultural highschool of Angers Le Fresne aims to improve the quality of
the runoff water from their nursery. The irrigation water usedon the 5,000 m² of greenhouses and a two-hectare nurseryamount to some 30,000 m³ of water each year, coming
entirely from the Loire river.
Nearly half of this volume is not consumed by the plants,
resulting in excess runoff. The water that is not absorbedby the plants is contaminated with pesticides and excess
fertiliser. The polluted runoff then ﬂows through fragile andprotected meadows before reaching the Maine river.
To avoid ﬂooding as well as nutrient and pesticides
additions on the meadows, the French students decided
to purify part of these polluted excess waters by building a
4,000 m² willow plantation with grasses and a hedge. The
nitrates and the phosphates will be absorbed by the willows
and the hedge, and the pesticides will be reduced by therhizosphere of the grass. As well as being a sound environmental practice, the willow plantation includes landscaping
and artistic features.

GERMANY

Comparing Cyanobacteria in Fresh andBrackish Water
By Heidi Heinonen

ISRAELFRANCEFINLAND

Finalists 2007

Development and Application of an Easy-to-use
Biosensor Based on the Oxygen Production of
Microalgae
By Philomena Apitzsch and Tobias Hahn
In order to secure drinking water quality and maintain ecological balance, water quality monitoring is one of the most signiﬁcant duties in modern civilization. World wide, algae producesnearly 50 per cent of the annual oxygen production.
Philomena Apitzsch and Tobias Hahn studied the oxygen
production of the micro algae Chlorella vulgaris as a parameterfor determination of the water’s quality. With the biosensor, theyexamined several toxic substances, several limnic waters andvarious waste waters. They set up an algae concentrate on an
oxygen electrode surface. This test method makes it possible to get
information about the toxicity of waters in less than 10 minutes.
Hence, this biosensor is much better and faster than the
known biological test procedures. By using oxygen of thephotosynthesis, this test method deals with a meaningfulparameter. Because the measuring system is simple, it has
the potential for world wide use. In addition, the Germanﬁnalists also constructed their own cultivation attachment toimprove the growth of algae, which is based on a novel stirring
method that improves the ﬂuctuation of the algae solution.
Development of a Robot for Measuring
Water Salinity in Desalination Plants
By Koral Elisha and Mor Gross
Since osmosis reversing membranes were introduced, theprice of desalinated water has dropped. Still, one of the problems encountered in existing plants is the need to manuallyreplace deteriorated membranes.
The Israeli ﬁnalists designed and built a prototype robotic
system that performs automatic salinity checks in the bundleof vessels of a desalination unit. The mechanical part of thesystem consists of a robot that can move vertically and insert atube in any vessel of the bundle of membranes. A sensor thatmeasures electrical conductivity conveys the data to a microchipthat converts the information into digital form. They have also
developed computer codes and display screens that permit theoperators to detect cross sections of high salinity, which indicatesa defective membrane or a junction between elements.
In collaboration with technical personnel working at theplant, the robot was tested in a small desalination plant at theMa’agan Michael in Israel. Further development of prototypes
and their use may result in savings in manpower, membrane
replacement costs and maintaining desalinated water quality.
5

L AT V I A

JA PA NI TA LY

Finalists 2007

6

Water Sources of Cuneo’s Valleys
By Valentina Abbona, Gianluca Borio and Virginio Morra
An increasing number of plain and hill aquifers are contaminated by pollution, and rising sea levels threaten undergroundaquifers. Therefore, the Alps are becoming a principal sourceof potable water. Because of the increasing value of the water,
it is essential to safeguard the natural water sources in the
Cuneo valley in Italy.
The Italian ﬁnalists tested the water quality of samples
collected from springs to make a chemical, physical andmicrobiological analysis of water sources in the mountainarea. They focused their research on detailed analysis of thewater samples, considering the risk of dangerous substances
for human health by comparing their results to indicators ﬁxed
by Italian and CEE regulations. They also carried out a surveyof the valleys and their morphology in order to check possible
contamination sources, recognising the relation between thegeological aspects of the area where the source has its origin
and the chemical-physical property of the water.
The group’s work provided useful information for the
local community, who rely on the water for daily use.
The Mystery of Ike-Boshi – Draining andDrying a Pond
By Satoshi Kimura, Hideki Matsuba and Yuki Tsujii
Modern rice cultivation practices have lead to eutrophication
problems. The Japanese project therefore sought to validate thescientiﬁc signiﬁcance of an ancient Japanese practice, Ike-Boshi,
draining and drying a pond during the agricultural off-season.
With a primary purpose of preserving the Japanese rose
bitterling, the students carried out Ike-Boshi in a ﬁeld. Afterthe pond was emptied, the sun and weather exposure caused
the reduced mud to oxidise. Surplus nutrients were eliminated,while the silicate was maintained. In the spring, with newwater in the pond, numerous diatoms grew while the growthof green and blue-green algae was suppressed. Larvae Glochidium of freshwater mussels ate the diatoms, allowing many
young mussels to develop. The numbers of rose bitterling andmussels correlated strongly with each other.
Meanwhile, the nutrient-rich sludge was drained into arice ﬁeld, where the nutrients were then re-absorbed andthe toxic substances were removed. The results suggest
Ike-Boshi can suppress eutrophication and provide beneﬁts
by reusing nutrients. The students believe that this Japanese
ancient wisdom could be applied in water and agricultural
management in many other countries as well.
Water Pollution in River Gauja in the Territoryof Carnikava
By Reinis Švarchabs and Zane Vitenberga
Access to fresh water is one of Latvia’s greatest assets.
Unfortunately, rapid industrial growth, urban expansion andintense agricultural practices have increased pollution in thenatural water reservoirs. The large quantity of surface waters is
affected by polluted runoff generated by developing industrial
and agricultural sectors. There is now growing concern in
Latvian society over the environmental impact of pollution.
The project used the methods of spectrophotometry and“School Kit Color Chart & Instruction Card” to investigate thequantity of chemical pollution in the waters of the Gauja in
Carnikava. They aimed to determine whether the pollution levelsin the River Gauja was affected by local population densities.
They established measures for different types and amount ofpollution, and analysed possible sources of pollution along theriver. Their data was composed of water samples taken fromfour different spots, with varying population densities, along
ﬁve kilometres of the river with approximately with one monthintervals between samplings. Analysis of the water samples
showed that the concentration of phosphate ions changed
depending on density of population and water level.

Large amounts of red seaweed Furcellaria lumbricalis are
washed ashore during storms in the Baltic Sea. A decadeago, rapid decrease of the population of the seaweed wasobserved. As this seaweed is the main spawning ground of
the main species of wholesale ﬁshery in Lithuania, a scientiﬁc
research program to investigate the condition of the weed
was established.
The main objective of the work was to study the population characteristics and epibionts of the red seaweed Furcellaria lumbricalis. Samples of the weed were collected in
the year 2006 in a littoral area of the Baltic Sea and pickedfrom a depth of two to four meters in the same territory. The
morphology (including weight, length, dichotomy, age andstructure), quantitative and varietal composition, distribution
percentage and biomass of epibionts were measured.
On the basis of the collected measurements, data analysis
and comparison, the students concluded that the biomass ofthe sea mat did not cause any signiﬁcant difference within
the two forms of red algae. Thus the sea biomass had nomeasured inﬂuence on the longevity of algae and its removalfrom substrate.
Elimination of Pb(II) from Water via Bio-adsorption
Using Eggshell
By Adriana Alcántara Ruiz, Dalia Graciela Díaz Gómez andCarlos Hernández Mejía
In order to prevent environmental contamination and negative
impacts on human health, lead removal from water shouldbe legally obligatory and prioritised. Several methods exist to
eliminate this pollutant from water; the high cost, however,makes companies reluctant to implement the technology.
In this work, a bio-organic material – eggshells - wasstudied in order to determine its capacity of adsorption.
Eggshells have the advantage of being an abundant, common and inexpensive bio-residual. The Mexican ﬁnalists
mixed eggshells with Pb(II) aqueous solution to remove thepollutant from the liquid phase. Morphology and elemental
composition of this compound, before and after reaction,
were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive
X-Ray analysis (EDAX). Atomic adsorption was used for
determination of the metal adsorption percent.
The reaction was carried out in ambient conditions, andthe team concluded that it can be reproduced to industrial
scale. The results showed that the use of eggshells for thetreatment of wastewater that contains heavy metals is a
simple, innovative, effective and economically viable methodof wastewater treatment.

NORWAY

Investigation on the Population of Seaweed Furcellaria lumbricalis in Littoral Areas of the Baltic Sea
By Giedr ė Ašmonait ė and Jelena Synanovi č

RUSSI A N F EDER AT ION

MEXICOLITHUANIA

Finalists 2007
Are Parts of the Ljan River Exposed to Pollution? – A
Limnological Examination of the Gjersrud Lake andthe Stensrud Lake and Their Corresponding Brooks
By Erik Bråthen Solem, Ingrid Eskild and Henrikke Sørlie
Marstrander
Salt put on roads to reduce ice formation, nutrients andpesticides used on agricultural land, and leakage from landﬁlls all have detrimental effects on water ecosystems. The
Norweigian team studied the effects that salts had on thewater quality in two local lakes, Gjersrud Lake and Stensrud
Lake, over a one-year period. The degree of pollution fromthe landﬁll of Grønmo was also analysed in the Gjersrud
Lake and its corresponding brooks.
Temperature, pH and conductivity were measured and theamount of oxygen, nitrate and phosphate, and presence ofamphibians was recorded. The amount and type of metals wasanalysed by the Water and Drainage Authorities’ laboratories.
The group found that melted snow from the disposal, as
well as salts from roads and agricultural runoff, all brought large
quantities of ions to Gjersrud Lake. The effect of these pollutantsremain in the lake for several months. The metal contamination
problem could be resolved if the water was transported in pipes,
and snow disposal was moved closer to the ocean. The water
quality may also impact the expansion of amphibians.
Revival of Small Rivers with the Aid of
Biological Ponds
By Alexey Razgulov and Anna Prudnichenkova
Small rivers in the Russian Federation face two central problems: water pollution and reduced water ﬂow. Alexey andVarvara’s study looked into the environmental rehabilitationof the Rzhavka river – a small river in the Upper Volga river
basin – and proposed an original solution to the problemof water pollution.
They suggested accumulating and cleaning the river waterin semi-ﬂowing biological ponds. This low-cost solution takes
into account speciﬁc features of the local landscape andthe environmental characteristics of the river’s ecosystem.
Water puriﬁcation ponds can serve as efﬁcient mechanismsof water pollution abatement. In 2006, using locally available construction materials, they designed and erected anexperimental dam in the lower reach of Rzhavka river.
The results showed that the degree of cleaning varied
from 18% to 80% for certain chemicals but reached almost
100% for microbiological indicators of water pollution. Local
residents and the municipal authorities enthusiasticallysupported the project. In order to bring concentrations ofwater pollutants down to maximum permissible limits (i.e.
hygienic standards), two or three additional biological pondsin the middle and lower reaches of the river were recommended.

7

SRI LANKA

SPA IN
8An Integrated Approach to Saving and Managing
Water – Empowering Communities, Building Lives
By Scott Mahoney, Bronwyn Metcalf and Nicole Purdon
The South African team identiﬁed water and sanitation problems in a rural community that they had been visiting as partof their school’s outreach programme. Their aim was to enable
the community to have enough water for agriculture and toprevent water wastage, but also to become self-sufﬁcient.
The second aim was to help the people in the community
become independent and economically stable through thesolutions that they design.
The team brainstormed and researched various solutions
to these problems and developed a model of a system forcatchment and storage of rain water and household waste
water, which could be ﬁltered and reused.
They proposed to build gutters in order to catch rainwater,which was captured into tanks, made of brick and plastic lining. Water from the tanks and ﬁltered household water would
be used primarily for subsistence farming. In the “bottled
garden” the evaporated water would be caught on a plastic
canopy, which could be reused by the crops. They proposedthat increased production would enable the community toextend their gardens and engage in small enterprises.
Cold Water Saving in a Domestic Hot Water (DHW)
SystemBy Oleguer Puig Mas
Domestic Hot Water (DHW) supply systems are wasteful.
Pipes only carry the hot water from the point where it isheated to the tap, which means that when the tap is turned
off the hot water stops circulating and cools down. Every time
hot water is used, the cold water pipes must be emptied down
the drain before hot water can emerge from the tap.
The Spanish ﬁnalist calculated that 17.5 % of the total
water used per inhabitant per day at home is poured down
the drain, approximately 30 litres per day. The study revealeda real and unnecessary, albeit not great, wastage of water in
DHW supply systems.
The study has therefore suggested an improved systemdesign that provides a solution to cold water wastage. The
proposal also calculated the cost and feasibility of building
the system from items available on the market. The system
is comprised of several parts, including: a ﬂow sensor, boost
pump, non-return valve, cold water direction sensor andelectrical system. The cost to build and incorporate thissystem is estimated to be from €500 to €800.
Water – Waste Not Want Not – Leap from Knownto Unknown
By A.G. Indunil Eranda, D.M. Ranuri Samavini and D.M.
Shashika Sanjeewani Dissanayake
Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka and rice paddy cultivationis relatively water intensive. Innovations for water conservation in paddy cultivation have a remarkable impact not onlyin Sri Lanka but across the world.
A ”Spilled Water Supply System” is used for paddy cultivation and large amounts of water are wasted due to improper
management. To maintain the required level of water recommended by the Agricultural Department, farmers have continu-

ous water ﬂow through the paddy ﬁelds to compensate thewater lost due to leakages, evaporation and inﬁltration. Nearly
22% of the water used is wasted through this practice.
The Sri Lankan ﬁnalists show that introducing an automated device, a wakkada, decreases the amount of water
wasted when it is allocated from the main supply to the
paddy plots. In addition to water and soil conservation, thismethod solves a serious social problem by reducing a major
cause of conﬂict among farmers who share water for their
paddy ﬁelds. The study suggests this device and method
has numerous further social, economic and environmental
beneﬁts.

SWEDEN

SOUTH AFRICA

Finalists 2007

Purification of Water from Phenolic Compounds
Using Enzymatic Polymerisation
By Isak Hägg and Emil Nilvebrant
The emission of phenols is a growing environmental issue.
Phenol exposure to animals often leads to damaged respiratory systems and decreased fertility, and signiﬁcantly
decreases average lifespan in ﬁsh. Using cheap and simple
methods, water can be puriﬁed from poisonous phenols withan enzyme from a common fungus.
An enzyme from Turkey Tail, commonly found in many
countries, can be used to bind phenols together in long
chains. This process effectively neutralises the poison,making it harmless to humans and animals. One proposed
application is to attach the enzyme to the wall of sewage
pipes where contaminated water passes through, which
would reduce the amount of enzyme needed to purify
large quantities of water.
To be economically feasible, however, the enzyme must
be available in large amounts and must have higher activity than the natural laccase that is extracted from Trametes
versicolor. If the gene producing the laccase were identiﬁed,
then recombinant DNA-technology could be used to enableindustrial scale production of the enzyme. Hopefully, thismethod could in the future provide another alternative tocurrent methods of purifying water.

A New Hot Water Source Established withEnvironmentally Friendly Zeolite
By Seyma Savas and Kevser Uz

USA

Finding ways to provide energy to power our societies, while
preventing pollution to the environment is a pressing issue. The
Turkish project takes one step forward by not only providing hot
water during the winter but by preventing pollution as well.
Seyma Savas and Kevser Uz have enabled zeolite (minerals with micro-porous structures) to absorb gas heat. By
covering a water pipe and trapping the gasses from the heatsource within the substance, the water passing through thepipe becomes heated. Due to zeolite’s insulation properties,
the availability of hot water could be secured even during
power cuts. Moreover, the absorbing properties of zeolite
used in this system trap CO², SO² and other pollutant gasses.
The cost of these substances, which are abundant in Turkey,
is quite low. Zeolite’s insulating properties will make it oneof the most important raw materials of the 21st century.
The students’ proposal utilises cost-efﬁcient materials andis especially useful as a way to preserve water heat and secure
hot water during winters in places with frequent power cuts.

cal method of processing plate rinsing water through slit diafragm
electrolizer with an insoluble anode. Her experiment cleansed rinsing water from zinc and nickel through hydroxidation. The study ofthe zinc extraction process after chloride ammonium zinc-plating
was done both in free metal form and as hydroxide.
The results showed that the determinative factor for macro
kinetics of extraction is relative density rather than current
density. Kira Shovkoplyas’ pilot model of this electrochemical
method showed hydrodynamic and electric stability, making
it suitable for use in industrial installations.
Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of Nanomaterials in
Aquatic Species
By Jingyuan Luo
Nanotechnology has revolutionary applications but potential
negative side effects of the technology remain unknown due
to current lack of knowledge on nanoparticle behaviour.
Jingyuan Luo studied the toxicity of nanoparticles by testing
nano-carbon particles (fullerenes) and nano-zinc oxide particles
on green algae and daphnia (water ﬂeas). She conducted
three tests, two of which involved directly introducing nanoparticles at various concentrations into the environments ofthe experimental organisms. The introduction of regular sizedparticles and no particles were control variables. The third test
examined the accumulation of nanoparticles in an aquatic foodchain by feeding nano-treated algae to daphnia.
The ﬁrst two tests demonstrated that nanoparticles are
more toxic to organisms than regular-sized particles. This toxicity is most evident after longer periods of exposure, on whichlittle research has been conducted. The third test revealed
that particles can be transferred from algae to daphnia. Future
modiﬁcations, including lengthening the experimentation
period and nanoparticle characterization, will be important inbetter understanding the mechanisms of nanotoxicity.
The study advises caution when further developing nanotechnology so environmental consequences can be mitigated.

New Electrochemical Method of Processing of
Plating Rinsing Waters for Achievement of
Economical and Ecological Purpose
By Kira Shovkoplyas
Industrial activity has increased the use of chemical elementsfrom 19 elements in the beginning of the 20th century to about
60 elements today. Galvanic production, especially, affects
water quality and adds heavy metals to water. Therefore,
there is a great need for new resource-saving and low-waste
technologies that can maximise the use of components.
Available chemical methods are uncomplicated, but expensive.
Other limitations include: high energy consumption, pre-treatmentof large-dispersed admixtures, the need of cleaning electrodes
mechanically, and the use of valuable and scarce membranes.
Kira Shovkoplyas has therefore developed a local electrochemi-

VIETNAMUKRAINE

TURKEY

Finalists 2007

Using Local Natural Materials to Clean Oil Spills on
Rivers in the Mekong Delta
By Phan Phuoc Duy, Tran Trung Hoang and Vo Phi Thoan
Oil spills on the water surfaces are commonplace in therivers, canals and waterways of the Mekong delta regionsin Vietnam. Small boats, using internal combustion engineswith petrol and kerosene as fuels, have resulted in numerous
small scale boat repairing activities along the rivers. These
activities greatly contaminate domestic water sources andnegatively affect aquatic biota in the regions.
Observing the pollution, the Vietnamese ﬁnalists carriedout a study on oil absorption capacities of natural materials
available in local areas, such as coconuts ﬁbers, bagasse(sugar cane dreg) and kapok (a fruit of the silk cotton tree)ﬁbres. The main objective of the study was to ﬁnd the best
available materials for oil spill absorption based on absorbing
qualities, cost effectiveness and environmental impact. The
project resulted in a pilot oil spill collection system from petrol
trading boats and repairing establishments along the river,where kapok ﬁbres were used as an absorption material. The
collective results were promising and suggested that theirsystem can provide effective means to protect and improve
the river water condition in the local areas.
9

Stokholm Junior Water Prize Finalists, 2006.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize Winners
2006

2 0 01

In 2006, Wang Hao, Xiao Yi and Weng Jie, China, won the Prize for their
originality, ingenuity and tenacity in their use of low-cost, ecologicallyfriendly technology to restore a polluted urban river channel.

Magnus Isacson, Johan Nilvebrant and Rasmus Öman from Sweden
won the Prize for their innovative and relevant research on the useof natural materials to remove metals in leachate from landﬁlls.

2005

2000

In 2005, Pontso Moletsane, Motebele Moshodi and Sechaba Ramabenyane, South Africa, the Prize for their revolutionary solution tominimise the need for water in small-scale irrigation. They developed
a low-current electric soil humidity sensor which uses light detection
to control water pipe valves and improve irrigation efﬁciency.

Ashley Mulroy from the USA won the Prize for a contemporary
project that investigated how inefﬁcient wastewater treatment
processes can lead not only to antibiotic contamination in American waterways, but also to progressive resistance among harmful
bacteria to those same antibiotics that once controlled them.

2004

19 9 9Tsutomu Kawahira, Daisuke Sunakawa and Kaori Yamaguti fromJapan won the Prize for the development and application of anenvironmentally friendly organic fertiliser for the Miyako Island. The
method is applicable to many places around the world.

Rosa Lozano, Elisabeth Pozo and Rocío Ruiz from Spain won thePrize for an innovative project that used sea urchins, starﬁsh andsea cucumbers to measure the effectiveness of an EU beachprotection program on Spain’s western Mediterranean coast.

2003

19 9 8Claire Reid, South Africa, won the Prize for an innovative, practical, easily
applicable technique for planting and successfully germinating seeds
in water-scarce areas to improve rural and peri-urban livelihoods.

Robert Franke from Germany won the Prize for his design of the
Aquakat, a solar-powered, ﬂow-through reactor for the treatment
of industrial wastewater.

2002

19 9 7

Katherine Holt, USA, won the Prize for research that looked at how
foreign species could be introduced to beneﬁt the Chesapeake
Bay while preserving the bay’s native oyster species and meeting
national environmental goals.

Stephen Tinnin from the USA became the ﬁrst international
Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner for research that investigatedthe correlation between the reproductive rate of sea urchins andwater pollution.

10

The Future of our World’s Water Depends
on our Water Experts of the Future.
There are challenges ahead for our world's water. Increased need, stressed supplies,
pollution and geopolitics seem to be muddying our future.
At ITT, we have a different outlook. We believe that how we use this precious
resource and return it for reuse will help define the future of humanity. We are deeply
involved in the cycle of water and are committed to the wise and sustainable
development and utilization of the world's water resources.
That is why we are a proud founding sponsor of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
We congratulate all of the State and National winners. It is their research anddiscoveries that will play an important role in the future of this most natural andcritical resource.
For more information on ITT and the cycle of water: www.ittfluidbusiness.com

National Organisers and Sponsors
Argentina: Asociacion Argentina de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ciencias delAmbiente (AIDIS- Argentina), Accion Planeta, Amcham, Desler, ERM, Ecopreneur SA, EnerSystem, ESSO, Flygt SA, INA, Sudamericana de Aguas SA
Australia: Australian Water Association (AWA), ITT Flygt Limited, Gold
Coast Water, Tyco Water Ltd
Belarus: BirdLife Belarus, Coca-Cola Beverages Belorussiya
Cameroon: Cameroon Vision Trust, The Water Environment Science andTechnology (WEST) Fund, Women International Coalition Organisation(WICO), Africa Commonwealth Women’s Forum (CWF) International
Canada: Western Canada Water Environment Association, Canadian Water
and Wastewater Association, Water Environment Federation, ITT Flygt, Western
Canada Water Environment Association, British Columbia Water and Wastewater Association, Water Environment Association of Ontario, Réseau Environment
Inc., Atlantic Canada Water Works Association
Chile: Dirección General de Aguas MOP, Aguas Andinas, Aguas Nuevo
Sur Maule, AIDIS-Chile, ALHSUD-Chile, CONAPHI-Chile, Dirección Generalde Aguas MOP, ESSBIO, ESSEL, Embajada de Suecia, Fanaloza, Ministeriode Educación, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, SOCHID, Universidad
Católica, Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Universidad
Federico. Sta. Maria
China: The Center for Environmental Education & Communications of State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA CEEC), ITT Corporation
Denmark: Unge Forskere, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Research,
Ministry of Environment, All Danish Universities, Major Danish Foundations and Companies
Estonia: Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development, National Centre
for Environmental Investments (KIK), Tallinn Waterworks Ltd., SEI-Tallinn
Finland: Water Association Finland, Maa- ja Vesitekniikan tuki ry., Kemira
Chemicals Ltd., Uponor Finland Ltd., Ekokem Ltd., Helsinki Water Ltd.
France: Ofﬁce Francais de la Fondation pour l’éducation à
l’environnement, ITT Flygt France, VEOLIA-Eau, Agence de l’Eau Seine
Normandie, Agence de l’Eau Artois-Picardie
Germany: Stiftung Jugend Forscht e.V., Federal Department of Educationand Science, The Ernst Sobotha Foundation, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitschutz und ArbeitsmedizinIsrael: Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University, The Iby & Aladar
Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, The Manuel and Raquel Klachky Foundation, Israel Water Authority
Italy: Federazione delle Associazioni Scientiﬁche e Tecniche (FAST),
FOIST, Fondazione Lombardia per l’Ambiente, Sanoﬁ-Aventis, with thepatronage of Presidenza del Consiglio dei ministri, Ministero della pubblica istruzione, Ufﬁcio scolastico per la Lombardia and CusMiBio
Japan: Japan Water Prize Committee (JWPC), Lion Corporation, CTI Engineering Co. Ltd., Tokyo Construction Consultants Co. Ltd., Nippon Koei
Co. Ltd., Paciﬁc Consultants Co. Ltd.
Latvia: Education, Youth and Sports Department of Riga City Council,
Riga Water Ltd.

Lithuania: Druksiai Ecological Education Academy and Lithuanian National Youth Technical Creativity Palace, Swedish Institute
Mexico: FEMISCA (Mexican Federation of Environmental Engineering),
Embassy of Sweden, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources,
Ministry of Public Education, National University of Mexico, The Mexican
Institute of Youth, Ministry of Environment (Government of Mexico City),
Ministry of Works and Services (Government of Mexico City), Mexican
Academy of Sciences, Environmental Engineers Federation, Environmental
Engineers Association, The Mexican Swedish Chamber of Commerce,
Kemira de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., Alfa Laval, S.A. de C.V., ITT Flygt México,
Tetra Pak S.A de C.V.
Norway: Norsk Hydrologiråd, Norsk Vannforening, VA-yngre, AnoxKaldnes, Fujitsu-Siemens, Norges Vassdrags og Energidirektorat (NVE), Norwegian Metrological Institute, Statkraft
Poland: Polish Foundation for the Protection of Water Resources, PolishFoundation for the Protection of Water Resources, The Economic Chamber of “Polish Waterworks”, The National Fund for Environmental
Protection and Water Management
Russian Federation: Environmental Projects Consulting Institute, CocaCola Export Corporation, Federal Agency of Water Resources, CanadianFoundation ”Civil Society”, Russian Regional Ecological Centre
South Africa: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Departmentof Education, Cape Peninsular University Of Technology, University Of
KwaZulu - Natal, Water Research Commission, Randwater, Umgeni Water
Board & Umhlathuzi Water Board
Spain: AGBAR Foundation (Centre d’Estudis i Investigacio del Medi Ambient), Kemira Iberica S. A.
Sri Lanka: ISB Environmental Services, ITT Corporation
Sweden: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), ITT Flygt AB,
Svenskt Vatten, SYVAB, Gävle Vatten, VA-avdelningen i Luleå Kommun,
Urban Water
Turkey: General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), Departmentof Energy and Natural Resources
UK: Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management(CIWEM) and the Institution of Water Ofﬁcers and the Company of Water
Conservators, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the Institution of Water Ofﬁcers and the Company ofWater Conservators, United Utilities
Ukraine: Ukranian Publishing House EKOinform, Swedish Institute, Publishing House “EKOinform”, “WILO-Ukraine”, “Santekhplast”, NTON
USA: Water Environment Federation (WEF), ITT Corporation, The CocaCola Company, Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Vietnam: Newspaper “Science and Life”, Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, Ministry of Education and Training,
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Embassy of Sweden, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Sida Environmental Fund,Center for public awareness raising

Global Sponsor isS I W I, SIWI
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