'Using boron nitride nanotubes, and the same operating pressure as current desalination methods, we can achieve 100 percent salt rejection for concentrations twice that of seawater with water flowing four times faster, which means a much faster and more efficient desalination process.'

Hilder, Gordon and Chung use computational tools to simulate the water and salt moving through the nanotube, said an ANU release.

They found that the boron nitride nanotubes not only eliminate salt but also allow water to flow through extraordinarily fast, comparable to biological water channels naturally found in the body.

Their results have been published in the journal Small.