Could graphene someday be more effective than a Brita water filtration system?

It could happen. Baoxia Mi, who joined the University of California, Berkeley's faculty last summer, is pioneering research in finding new methods to purify water and wastewater.

According to an article on Berkeley's engineering website, Mi is developing a new type of membrane that could outperform the current water filtration technology used today, while using less energy. How? Well, her design is made from graphene oxide, the same material used in pencils.

Made from a thin layer of carbon, this graphene membrane material can effectively remove wastewater contaminants, ranging from pharmaceuticals, pathogens and endocrine disruptors, according to Berkeley's article. Mi adds that graphene could be used toward wastewater reuse, treating storm water and the desalinization of water.

"Graphitic oxide is a large particle containing numerous layers of carbon, so the resulting membrane is thick, with a very low water filtration rate," Mi says in the Berkeley article.

She adds that the graphene membrane material could be especially significant during droughts because of its ability to be more energy efficient in filtrating water.

"It's very flexible, compact and low maintenance," Mi says. "We're working really hard right now to make them work for desalination."