From water innovation to public awareness: Winners of Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2024
Christopher Whitfeld and Jonathan Zhao, students from Eton College in the United Kingdom won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2024.
Competing with thirty other exceptional research projects, including topics such as bioengineering of glacial bacteria, they reflected on their achievement during an interview with WaterFront Daily.
Jonathan said that “After the initial happiness, with any great achievement comes a lot of responsibility.”
The goal of their project, PFASolve, was to reduce the cost of detection and filtration of dangerous PFAS or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water. “Testing is extremely expensive compared to other pollutants,” explained Jonathan. “A single sample can cost 100GBP, which creates a critical lack of data on the presence of PFAS and therefore awareness among people.”
What people should know about PFAS
“PFAS are a significant health risk, even in tiny amounts. Just four nanograms can be extremely dangerous—it’s equivalent to a drop or two in an Olympic-sized swimming pool,” continued Christopher. Despite their dangerous nature, PFAS are commonly produced in military and industrial processes and are even found in everyday consumer goods, such as non-stick pans. “People need to be aware that these dangerous chemicals are very present in water.”
Their project not only investigated PFAS levels in the River Thames but also developed a software tool. This allows users to input their coordinates to get a prediction of the amount of PFAS present in their area. “If the tool establishes that you might be at risk, you can get a filter that we developed for less than 7GBP.” Jonathan highlighted that their invention is very easy to install and does not disrupt the flow of tap water.
Why media involvement is critical
The free software is also a powerful communication tool. “It adds a sense of urgency to the problem,” said Jonathan. The winners went on to create pamphlets and are making plans to hand them out to locals in their region.
However, the students faced challenges in gaining media attention for the PFAS problem before winning the Prize. Christopher explained that “There are already a range of water-related problems in the UK and a lot of the public’s anger is directed towards water sewage treatment failure.” He hopes that after winning the Prize, they can “create the momentum to make PFAS pollution the scandal that it needs to be.”
Christopher added that, “It is about the impetus, because when people know about an issue and there is protest on the streets, it creates awareness, and people may write letters to Members of Parliament in the UK. This may force law makers to act and improve regulations against unsafe levels of PFAS. That’s the impact we would like to see.”
“It is about the impetus, because when people know about an issue and there is protest on the streets, it creates awareness, and people may write letters to members of Parliament in the UK. This may force law makers to act and improve regulations against unsafe levels of PFAS. That’s the impact we would like to see.”
What went behind the scenes
The most exciting part of the project for Jonathan was going through London and testing samples of the River Thames. “There’s a whole marshland before you can get to the river,” he said.
The winners are very proud of the journey before the Prize. For Jonathan it was about “taking small steps towards the final goal”, whereas for Christopher it was about “having an idea and making it a reality.”
Jonathan also expressed how “the more you know the less you know” after the substantial amount of research they conducted and continued garnering information. However, they had a “turning point” and felt that they were truly starting to get a grasp and expertise over the topic.
At a personal level, the students connected very well which helped them throughout the project.
“The thing about water and the environment is that it connects everything. Whatever you are passionate about, you can use that and apply it to make a positive impact.”
How the winners found their passion for water
PFASolve is a true reflection of the winners’ mindset to drive change. For Christopher it was his connection to water from a young age. He experienced his love for water through water sports. “My ethos is that I like to see things clean and tidy, and when I see the water is not clean, and it could be, I believe that it can be fixed. We have solved so many problems in the past, like the ozone layer depletion.”
Jonathan found his interest across several different subjects during his early years. It’s his love for science and biology that eventually brought him closer to water. “The thing about water and the environment is that it connects everything. Whatever you are passionate about, you can use that and apply it to make a positive impact.”
- Water and climate
- World Water Week
- Water governance
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
- Water governance
- Gender and water
- Resilience through water
