Lockheed Graphene: Cheap Seawater Desalination on the Way!

Here's some really good news for people who like to drink water, grow food, and bathe on a regular basis...

Well-known missile-builder Lockheed Martin has found a way to get the salt out of seawater that requires much less energy and is way cheaper than traditional methods. Some experts believe the discovery, based around ultra-thin carbon membranes called "graphene" filters, has the potential to solve many of the world's very serious potable water problems.

Unlike normal reverse osmosis -- the most common method for desalinating seawater -- the new Lockheed method doesn't require huge, high-power pumping stations and a ton of electricity to push the water through the Perforene graphene filters. Their thinness -- about the width of an atom -- allows them to function at much lower water pressures.

According to head Lockheed engineer John Stetson:

"[The graphene is] 500 times thinner than the best filter on the market today and a thousand times stronger... The energy that's required and the pressure that's required to filter salt is approximately 100 times less... It's all little carbon atoms tied together in a diaphanous, smooth film that's beautiful and continuous.... The amount of work it takes to squeeze that water through the torturous path of today's best membranes is gone..."

We say: Living here in the Las Vegas/Mojave desert, we have a very good understanding of the importance of fresh, drinkable water. Hopefully this new desalination technology will help keep the Bellagio's fountains running. Oh, and also save the lives of billions of people throughout the world in the future....

Learn some mo': Weapons-maker finds method for cheap, clean water