Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

March 23, 2021

Benjamin S. Hsiao, distinguished professor, and Priyanka Sharma, research assistant professor, both from the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University, received the Creativity Prize — which is awarded to water-related interdisciplinary work — in the ninth Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW). They were recognized at the PSIPW Virtual Awards Ceremony on March 22.

The PSIPW is an internationally renowned scientific award established in 2002 by H.R.H. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz. It recognizes innovative research aimed at finding solutions to today’s global water-related challenges.

Hsiao’s team has developed adsorbents, coagulants and membrane materials from sustainable, biomass-sourced nanocellulose fibres along with numerous practical applications that promise to provide effective water purification for off-grid communities of the developing world. Their work also involves the development of environmentally friendly biomass extraction processes to produce these low-cost cellulose nanofibers for use in energy-efficient industrial water treatments, desalination and heavy metal removal, capable of reaching a performance/price ratio of more than 10 to 100 times better than existing commercial systems. 

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