A team of researchers has developed a new method for turning seawater into clean drinking water—one that works better than existing techniques, including activated carbon.

The discovery, led by Yusuke Yamauchi from Nagoya University in Japan and Xingtao Xu from Zhejiang Ocean University in China, was published in Nature Communications.

As the world’s population grows, clean drinking water is becoming harder to find.

Many coastal areas struggle with water shortages despite being surrounded by seawater.

To tackle this problem, scientists have been developing ways to remove salt and other impurities from seawater, making it safe to drink.

One common method involves using special materials called electrodes.

These electrodes attract and hold onto charged particles, or ions, from seawater, leaving behind clean, deionized water. Not only does this process purify water, but it also allows useful ions, such as sodium, to be collected and reused in industries.

Most of the time, electrodes are made from a carbon-based material with tiny pores, creating a large surface area that helps extract more ions. However, the researchers believed they could improve this process by changing the material’s structure.

How oxygen makes a difference

To enhance the electrodes, the team experimented with a technique called heteroatom doping, where different elements are added to change the properties of a material. They decided to use oxygen, which had been largely ignored by other scientists in this type of research.

“We used oxygen because it interacts with nitrogen, increasing its ability to attract ions,” explained researcher Asakura. “We were excited to discover that oxygen plays a crucial role in the process. Our team was the first to prove this effect.”

Not only did oxygen improve the electrodes’ ability to remove salt from water, but it also unexpectedly increased the surface area of the material. The researchers believe this happened because oxygen changed how the material formed during heating, making it more effective at trapping ions.

A cheaper, more efficient way to get clean water

This new technique has several advantages. First, it makes water purification more efficient, meaning clean water can be produced faster. Second, it may lower costs, making seawater purification more affordable for communities that need it most.

“We were excited to develop a material that outperforms all existing materials, even activated carbon,” said Yamauchi. “Other researchers overlooked the potential of oxygen, but our study proves its value.”

Beyond providing clean water, this innovation could also benefit the automotive industry. Similar electrodes are used in fuel cells for hydrogen-powered cars, meaning this discovery might improve sustainable energy technologies as well.

With this breakthrough, coastal communities struggling with freshwater shortages could soon have a more reliable and cost-effective way to get drinking water—thanks to the power of oxygen.