Chinese researchers published a report on Nov. 21 about efficient, portable solar desalination technology, which can turn seawater into high-quality drinkable water at 80 percent energy conversion efficiency.

Zhu Xi, a professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Nanjing University, said that the new technology requires only solar energy to produce fresh water, so it is an ideal desalination plan. However, the large-scale application of the technology is stunted by its low energy conversion efficiency.

Zhu’s study group got around this problem by using innovative methods, such as employing foldable, light, thin films of grapheme, and separating the grapheme absorber from the seawater. Thus, their method achieved an 80 percent energy conversion efficiency, 20 percent higher than similar methods under the same conditions. The fresh water created through this process has passed the preliminary tests of the World Health Organization and other international health organizations.

This innovation could potentially address water shortages around in the world, bringing green, portable and efficient water treatment technology to poverty-stricken areas and places that have suffered from natural disasters, Zhu added.