Although I look at using old technology a lot I still believe that technology advances will safe us from many things, Peak oil, asteroid impact, etc. we are an adaptable species and we can adapt to all these issues when we need to. It is only politicians that stand in our way.
However, despite these we still find that scientists are creating materials that are of use to us. Have a look at Graphene, this material is ideal for water filtration and distilling among other potential uses. h/t Fred
It looks like an ideal material to have in the stores. Of course we can’t reproduce it after an event but it should last a long time, more than enough time for us to build our own sand filters and perfect our old style techniques.
Ain’t technology grand. We should keep an eye out for these technologies and take advantage when we can.