Our winners

Dr. Diana Carolina Parada Quinayá, a Colombian chemical engineer and professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru, was awarded a first prize of €50,000 to for her “Use of cocoa waste for green composites production in Pangoa” proposal. 

“Winning the award is also a great commitment: we will develop the project in the best way. It makes us happy to be able to contribute to the improvement of conditions in Amazonian communities,” said Dr. Quinayá.

The second prize of €25,000 went to Clifford Okoth Owino from Nairobi, Kenya, CEO and co-founder of Chemolex, for his project “Ecofuel/Chemolex.”

“The prize has given us a huge sense of hope and motivation. My hope for the future of sustainable chemistry is that it will enable sustainable solutions to challenges such as energy poverty, climate change and environmental degradation. It is my hope that we will be able to rethink our priorities, drive environmental awareness and adopt cleaner production technologies with zero environmental footprints,” said Clifford. 

The first prize, worth EUR €50,000, was awarded to Dr. Ramia Albakain, Associate Professor at the University of Jordan, for her project “New green technique to remove toxic metal from wastewater”. Due to a landscape where little precipitation occurs, Jordan suffers from year-long water shortages. To tackle these desertic climate challenges, the project showcased environmentally-friendly solutions to use green membranes to treat medical wastewater, making it safe for agricultural irrigation.

“Receiving this prize will enable me to not only initiate collaborations in Jordan, but to also do that internationally: I’m looking forward to more opportunities do joint capacity building, for the success of the project,” said Dr. Albakain.

Dr. Ankur Patwardhan, Head of the Biodiversity Department at Maharashtra Education Society’s Abasaheb Garware College, Pune, India, was awarded the second prize of EUR €25,000. His project, “Butterfly attractant for pollination and ecosystem health”, focuses on the plant-pollinator interactions that play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance and aims at enhancing floral visits by butterflies through the development of natural attractant formulations.

“This prize gives me the energy and confidence to keep going: to serve the community is a priority, and as first step I’ll reach to the farmers who have supported the development of the project,” said Dr. Ankur Patwardhan.

How is Ankur’s work progressing? Read the interview.

Prajwal Rabhindari, President of the Research Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology (RIBB) in Nepal was awarded the first prize for his project that aims to minimize post-harvest food loss that affects smallholder farmers: up to one third of Nepal’s food resources are lost in spoilage, which is hugely problematic for a developing country whose major economy relies on agriculture.

“Usually, additives and preservatives are used for the plants, not for the fruits – this is why I love the creativity of this solution”, he said. “Using guava leaves to prevent spoilage will help farmers have their products on the market for a longer time: they make huge investments, but the amount of products that end up in the markets is so low – and the percentage of food loss is too big, especially in developing countries.”

How is Prajwal’s work progressing? Read the interview.

Dr. Alessio Adamiano, a researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR), has worked on improving resilience and empowering small-scale fishing communities in Senegal through his project “phos-FATE”, which won the second prize. The jury members noted that phos-FATE proposes an interesting alternative to the common phosphate mining, a process that is highly polluting.

“The concept has the potential for high impact on local communities, as it can be easily scaled and adapted for other similar waste such as porcine and bovine bones, far beyond Senegal.” – juror Dr. Borhane Mahjoub, Assistant Professor in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Sousse, Tunisia, and Associate Editor of Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy.

How is Alessio’s work progressing? Read the interview.

The proposal presented by Dr. de Lima demonstrates well how sustainable chemistry can contribute to sustainable development in several other fields, in this case health. The scientific jury recognized that the project goes beyond re-using waste; by replacing dangerous toxic chemicals with organic matter, it tackles important global issues for several countries at risk.

“The quality of life of millions in Brazil, and in other countries at risk, can be greatly improved by this project.” he said. “Having received this award will also prove fundamental to the development of research at my university. It will motivate students to pursue sustainable chemistry work and show them the importance of green solutions.”

How is Denis’ work progressing? Read the interview.

In awarding Dr. Chikere’s project, the jury members recognized that as the problem of oil-polluted soil goes way beyond Nigeria, the project sets an example for many developing countries facing the same conditions. They also wanted to stress the importance of giving incentive to work with local expertise and raise awareness around an issue that has been devastating the country.

“This prize is important not only for me and my team, but for Nigeria as well,” she said. “The recognition makes me feel that we’re not left out as a developing country. Through science, we’ll be able to change lives and solve real life problems beyond the African continent. This award will give me access to better research facilities and help empower local Nigerian women through eco-restoration and biodiversity recovery.”

How is Chioma’s work progressing? Read the interview.