Singapore awards Dutch scientist with Water Prize 2009

Singapore awards Dutch scientist with Water Prize 2009 Singapore  - Singapore will award Dutch scientist Gatze Lettinga with an award of nearly 200,000 US dollars for pioneering an environmentally-sustainable treatment of used water, the prize organizers said in a statement Monday.

Lettinga will receive the Lew Kuan Yew Water Prize 2009, named after Singapore's first prime minister and present minister mentor, in a ceremony in June.

His revolutionary treatment concept enables industrial used water to be purified cost-effectively and produces renewable energy, fertilizers and soil conditioners, the organizers of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) said.

Lettinga's solution is based on anaerobic technology. He has chosen not to patent this invention so that his water treatment technology can be universally available.

As a result, his technology has been widely adopted in industrial as well as municipal use, SIWW said.

Singapore gives out the the Lee Kuan Yew award "to recognize outstanding contributions in solving global water issues," it said in a statement.

The island state is short of resources and already recycles sewage into clean water for use in homes and factories.

The award, which was established 2008, comes with a cash prize of 300,000 Singapore dollars (193,974 US dollars), a certificate and a gold medallion.

The prize is solely sponsored by the Singapore Millennium Foundation, a philanthropic body supported by the city state's holding company Temasek. (dpa)

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