IIT Madras professor wins Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water

NEW DELHI: Thalappil Pradeep, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras' Chemistry department has been selected as the laureate of the 10th edition of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) for the development of nanoscale materials to remove arsenic from drinking water.

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, given for breakthrough discovery in any water-related field includes a cash component of US dollar 2,66,000. Pradeep was awarded the PSIPW under the "Creativity Prize" category for the development of nanoscale materials to remove arsenic from drinking water. The nanoscale materials developed by his research group are claimed to be environmental-friendly and water-positive. The method will help in affordable, sustainable, and rapid removal of arsenic from drinking water, the institute claims in a statement.

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According to a statement from IIT Madras, Pradeep was earlier awarded the Padma Shri and Nikkei Asia Prize. Technologies he developed are delivering clean water to over 1.2 crore people. The award ceremony will be held on September 12, 2022, at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. The award mentions Pradeep’s team members Avula Anil Kumar, Chennu Sudhakar, Sritama Mukherjee, Anshup, and Mohan Udhaya Sankar.

"Clean water is truly a problem of advanced materials. We could contribute to the area in a small way, thanks to our great nation. There is much to do in every area of water such as desalination, humidity harvesting, sensing and recycling. Our wonderful team is working on each one of them. The area is wide open for all to contribute,” said Pradeep.

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