Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli honored on Saturday the winners of the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination. The minister presented the grand prize to Syed Shah from Aqua Membranes, USA, for the project titled “Changing reverse osmosis through 3D printed spacers.”
Five other winners were also given away with the prizes. All six winners made their presentations before the announcement of the grand prize. Special prizes were also distributed on the occasion.
The award ceremony was held in the presence of the Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) Eng. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Abdul Karim, and a number of senior officials and other distinguished dignitaries. It was held on the sidelines of the second edition of the Innovation in the Desalination Industry Conference that is taking place at the Jeddah Ritz-Carlton Hotel until October 3, 2023.
Other winners of the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination include: Arian Edalat (Active Membranes, USA) for the project titled “Next Generation of Desalination Membranes;” Quantum Wei (Harmony Desalting, USA) for its entry “Batch Reverse Osmosis;” and Hany Said (Mega Vessels Water Inc., USA) for the “Mega Vessel” initiative.
Winning entries from other countries include Nick Heineman (Desolenator, the Netherlands) for the project “Desolenator: Transforming the Industry through a World-First Solar-Thermal Desalination Solution that works at Scale;” and Mohamed Anwar (Schneider Electric, France) for the “Desalination Plant Digital Twin Powered by Dynamic Process Simulation” project.
The winners were chosen from among a total of 105 competitors, who represented 27 countries. They included innovators from research centers and universities, as well as entrepreneurs and employees of companies operating in the water desalination industry from around the world.
At the event, Al-Fadhli expressed gratitude to Saudi leadership’s unwavering support for the kingdom’s water sector. He then congratulated the winners for submitting projects that were recognized for innovation, quality and excellence. With the number of submissions and the international reach of the competition, Al-Fadhli declared the first edition of the global prize a resounding success.
In addition, the minister said that the desalination awards was initiated by Saudi as part of its comprehensive water strategy that seeks to foster innovation, enhance policies and legislation as well as adopt international best practices in the water sector.
