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Innovation of the Week: New Membranes Cut the Cost of Seawater Desalination

Advanced generations of reverse-osmosis membranes promise lower energy use — what does that mean for coastal cities and mega projects?

Editorial Board·Published August 11, 2026·5 min read
وحدة تناضح عكسي بأغشية وخزانات وأنابيب مركّبة على هيكل معدني، ويقف بجوارها فني يرتدي خوذة صفراء
Watercareservice / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Laboratories worldwide are racing to build more efficient desalination membranes: higher water permeability, sharper salt rejection, longer operating life — the sum is less energy per cubic meter produced.

For Egypt, where desalination plants are expanding along the coasts, every percentage of energy savings translates directly into cheaper water and stronger feasibility for new coastal cities.

In Science Answers: we take your questions on the technology — send them through the Voice of the Citizen gate.

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