SINGAPORE — In the aftermath of earthquakes and tsunamis, one of the most desperate needs for survivors is often to have access to clean drinking water.

In the future, help may be on the way from Singapore.

Desalination plants have long been essential to providing fresh water in places where natural supplies are lacking. Traditionally, two methods have been used to remove salt from water: thermal distillation, in which salt water is boiled and the purified vapor is collected; and membrane processes, like reverse osmosis and electrodialysis, in which water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane that acts as a microscopic strainer to filter out the salt crystals and other impurities.

More than 60 percent of all desalination plants worldwide use a membrane process, which typically consumes less energy than thermal distillation. Still, reverse-osmosis in particular remains very energy-intensive and usually requires huge plants to be economical.

Now, a Singapore company, memsys clearwater says it has developed a better technology that could revolutionize the economics of desalination. Called vacuum multieffect membrane distillation, it uses a relatively new process that combines thermal and membrane technologies, working in a vacuum so that the water boils at a much lower temperatures of 50 to 80 degrees Celsius (122 to 176 Fahrenheit) instead of the usual 100 degrees Celsius. It also comes in small, modular units suitable for use in disaster zones and remote communities.