T. Pradeep, professor in the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, has been named laureate of the 10 th edition of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water.
The biannual international scientific award was given in the Creativity Prize category for breakthrough discovery in any water-related field. It includes $2,66,000 (approximately ₹2 crore), a trophy, gold medallion and a certificate.
Mr. Pradeep’s research group comprising Avula Anil Kumar; Chennu Sudhakar; Sritama Mukherjee; Anshup and Mohan Udhaya Sankar has developed environment friendly “water positive” nanoscale material for affordable, sustainable and rapid removal of arsenic from drinking water.
Mr. Pradeep said: “There is much to do in every area of water such as desalination; humidity harvesting; sensing and recycling. Our team is working on each one of them. The area is wide open for all to contribute.”
In 2020, Mr. Pradeep was awarded the Nikkei Asia Prize and the Padma Shri for his work in providing clean water in several Indian states.
