Qu Jiuhui, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and a research fellow at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was honored with the 2024 Sustainability Award for his contributions to safe drinking water research. The award was presented during the Nobel Sustainability Trust’s annual summit on Nov 20 in San Francisco, the US.

Chinese scientist Qu Jiuhui won the Sustainability Award 2024 of the Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation for his outstanding research and development in the field of safe drinking water in San Francisco on Nov 20, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a statement on its website.

Photo credit: Xinhua

For the first time in the award’s history, it was conferred for water research milestones, highlighting global recognition of China’s significant contributions to advancing water technology.

Slav W. Hermanowicz from the University of California, Berkeley, representing the award jury, detailed Qu’s groundbreaking achievements, from innovations in drinking water purification to water ecological protection and the resource recovery of wastewater treatment plants. Following the address, Peter Nobel, Chairman of the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST), officially presented the award to Qu.

In his acceptance speech, Qu expressed his gratitude for the honor. He shared his team’s successes in developing and applying advanced water treatment technologies, supported by specific case studies. He emphasized the vital role of water as a strategic resource for sustainable development and underscored the importance of technological advancements in addressing global water challenges. He also expressed his hope to broaden international collaborations, aiming to offer “Chinese solutions” to combat the global water crisis.

Established in 2022 by the NST, the Sustainability Award recognizes distinguished individuals, organizations, or companies in different fields for their contribution to fostering, innovating, and implementing sustainable solutions for the well-being of our society, economy, and planet now and in the future.

Sources: The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, VOC