The Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) was the Platinum Sponsor for the 25th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry (EMEC25), an annual interdisciplinary conference that covers the latest research for a broad range of topics within the field of environmental chemistry.

PSIPW has partnered with EMEC since 2017 by providing grants to plenary speakers and awards to young researchers.

EMEC25 was held in Chania, Greece, from 23 to 25 November 2025. It brought together environmental chemists at all career levels, from world-leading senior scientists to as early-stage researchers, committed to protecting the environment and ensuring the sustainability of our natural environment. This year’s meeting focused on advancing sustainable solutions, addressing environmental challenges, and exploring the latest breakthroughs in environmental science and technology.

EMEC is organised annually on behalf of the Association for Chemistry and the Environment (ACE). It is held in in late November or early December and always attracts highly relevant high-quality scientific presentations in environmental chemistry and related areas.

PSIPW supported two plenary speakers at the conference:

Despo Fatta-Kassinos, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus.

She presented: “Confronting micropollutants and antimicrobial resistance: Transforming wastewater treatment plants into reclaimed water facilities for climate resilience.”

Davide Vione, Professor of Chemistry, University of Turin, Italy.

His presentation was entitled: “Photodegradation of organic pollutants in surface waters.”

 

A crucial aspect of EMEC is the support it gives to young researchers. There are always a large number of young participants at EMEC, and their presentations at the conference are judged by a jury who nominate the best papers and posters. Three young recipients were awarded during the conference’s closing ceremony:

Enahoro Asein, Stockholm University, Sweden
“Paper-based sensor for fluoride detection in environmental water”

Verena Bischoff, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
“Composition of petroleum hydrocarbons and technical additives in drilling waste buried in permafrost soils”

Mahsaalsadat Rokni, University of Auckland, New Zealand
“End-of-life management of silicones through the incorporation of dynamic sulfur–sulfur bonds”