Data Centers Explore Recycled Water for Cooling Amid Environmental Concerns
A marketing campaign featuring Jason Kelce humorously suggested using urine to cool data centers, inadvertently highlighting the real-world practice of using recycled wastewater. Experts confirm that treated wastewater, which contains urine, is already a significant alternative cooling source for data centers, reducing the demand for potable water. However, expanding this practice requires substantial infrastructure development, as exemplified by Loudoun County, Virginia, where a large portion of data center water still comes from potable supplies.
A satirical marketing campaign by Liquid Death and Garage Beer, featuring former NFL star Jason Kelce, proposed using pee to cool AI data centers. While the suggestion was facetious, it brought attention to the substantial water demands of data centers and the real-world application of alternative water sources for cooling.
Industry experts like Michael Obradovitch, vice president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, and Bruno Pigott, executive director of the WateReuse Association, confirmed that recycled wastewater, which includes treated human urine, is already used to cool data centers. Dr. Greta Zornes, practice leader for water reuse at CDM Smith, highlighted a "boom" in recycled water use for data center cooling, noting that it reduces the burden on local potable water supplies.
However, challenges remain, particularly in rural areas where wastewater treatment facilities may not be large enough to supply the necessary volume of treated water. Loudoun County, Virginia, a major data center hub, uses about 200 million gallons of recycled water daily for its data centers, yet 57% of their water still comes from potable sources, according to Loudoun Water. Building out the required infrastructure, which can take considerable time, is crucial for wider adoption.
Companies like Meta are investing in wastewater infrastructure near their data centers to support these efforts, and advocates like Pigott are pushing for policy changes, such as a 30% tax credit, to accelerate the scaling of recycled water infrastructure. The commercial's virality underscores growing public concern over the environmental impact of data centers.