Porifera Gains Desalination Technology

Membrane start-up Porifera has inked an exclusive licensing deal with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop carbon nanotube technology for desalinating water and conducting other liquid separations. Porifera’s chief technology officer, Olgica Bakajin, previously worked on the 
nanotube project at the government lab. The company says it is developing membranes with high permeability, durability, and selectivity for water purification, as well as other applications, such as separating CO₂ from nitrogen in power plant emissions. Porifera has received a $3 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a small, portable, self-cleaning desalination system.