Dutch Scientist Receives Prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2009

Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 09:55 HKT/SGT

SINGAPORE, June 16, 2009 - (ACN Newswire) - Dutch scientist Professor Gatze Lettinga will be in Singapore to receive the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize award for 2009 during the Singapore International Water Week to be held from June 22-26, 2009. A total of 39 nominations from 19 countries were received for the Water Prize, covering a wide spectrum of solutions, including new disciplines in water research and applications. Professor Lettinga emerged as the winner for his breakthroughenvironmentally sustainable solutions for the treatment of used water using anaerobic technology. His revolutionary treatment process enables industrial used water to be purified cost-effectively and produces renewable energy, fertilizers and soil conditioners. By choosing not to patent his invention, he has made his technology universally available.

Professor Lettinga will deliver the 2nd Singapore Water Lecture on June 23, 2009. He will receive S$300,000, an award certificate and a gold medallion during the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2009 Award Ceremony and Banquet at the Istana on June 24, 2009.

Following the 2nd Singapore Water Lecture, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will host Professor Lettinga at a special networking session on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. This event will be held at the Green Atlantic Lounge, Suntec, Level 3 from 5.00 -7.00 pm.

Proudly adding to the Netherlands' many achievements in the water sector, HE Chris Sanders, the Dutch Ambassador to Singapore said that the Dutch have a remarkable tradition when it comes to managing water. Living in a Delta area has meant finding ways to cope with a multitude of water-related risks: from storm surges to soil subsidence and from rising river levels to groundwater pollution.

"The experience of living with water has been the principal driving force behind finding new ways of using as well as protecting available water resources," said Mr Sanders. The Netherlands' innovative solutions to water problems have countries from all over the globe seeking their expertise, Mr Sanders went on to say. Besides flood control and water engineering, the Dutch are also at the forefront of developments in wastewater management, water purification and cutting-edge membrane filtering technology.

Ms Linnie Mackenzie, Area Director of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), an agency which serves as a bridge to foster collaborations and international business partnerships, said that Singapore and the Netherlands are small nations that face significant challenges in ensuring the supply and security of water.

Both nations, she said, have invested heavily in research and are actively collaborating to overcome these challenges through joint projects such as:

- Singapore's National Water Agency PUB is working with KIWA Water Research (Netherlands) on a new osmotic membrane bioreactor that uses a novel forward osmosis technology to reduce the cost of producing NEWater.

- In 2007, Singapore's Keppel Seghers and TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research completed a pilot plant to test Memstill(R), which makes use of industrial waste heat to distill seawater through membranes. In 2008, Keppel Seghers and Water Technology Holland signed a royalty agreement with the 9 member consortium to manufacture and market the Memstill, technology worldwide.

- The National University of Singapore, PUB and Delft Hydraulics are partners in the Singapore Delft Water Alliance (SDWA), formed in February 2007 to work on water quality modeling and urban water resource management. Delft Hydraulics is also involved in water quality modeling for the Singapore Marina Reservoir Project.

For more information on the networking session hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on June 23, 2009 at 3.30 pm, contact:

Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA)

Ms Linnie Mackenzie,
Area Director
Tel: +65 6739 1135
Email: mackenzie@nfia-singapore.com

Ms Adeline Tan,
Project Manager
Tel: +65 6739 1137
Email: tan@nfia-singapore.com

For media attendance and interview opportunities:
Irene Gomez, Corporate Media Services
Tel: +65 6327 8825
Mobile: +65 9667 6601.
Email: irene@corpmediapl.com

Angela Sim, Tel: 632 8825 / email: marcom@corpmediapl.com
Sophia Nasim: Tel: 9817 8686 / email: Sophia@corpmediapl.com

Topic: Awards Sectors: Water, Environment, ESG
https://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network