Perforene is the trademarked name of a carbon based material that is projected to utilize a much smaller energy footprint to turn sea water to clean, potable water. Lockheed Martin announced today that the Perforene has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent & Teademark Office. The material is only one atom thick which has led some to question Lockhead’s ability to scale the product up for mass commercialization.
The technology is impressive though. Traditional desalination, or removal of salts from the sea, uses a process called reverse osmosis. Osmosis is a science term which means that a more concentrated solution will move into a less concentrated solution until equilibrium id achieved. Reverse osmosis works by forcing salts back through a filter at a high pressure. The high pressure needed to remove the salts requires a lot of energy which is why this technology is so expensive. When I learned about the new Perferene material, I could instantly see the benefits to thirsty Southern California.
As a resident of coastal California, I have always been a proponent of sea water desalination. One of major reasons is due to the cost of bringing water from such long distances is so expensive. In faxt it is so expensive that the cost of the whole endeavor is projected at ~19% of power costs for the entire state!! And the state of California is one of the biggest economies in the world! Think about how much money we would save by a low cost, local water supply solution.
But not only would this material help developed regions, it could also help to deliver clean water to the estimated 780 million who do not have access to clean water.
Whether Perferene is able to live up to all the claims, only time will tale. But I for one will be keeping an eye on the developments.
Amber M. Baylor 