{"id":744600,"date":"2026-08-20T23:55:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T23:55:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:55:32","slug":"ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee\/","title":{"rendered":"Ok, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/liquiddeath.com\/pages\/wewantyourpee\">cheeky marketing campaign<\/a>, Liquid Death teamed up with former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce to share a solution to mitigate the environmental impact of AI data centers, which require massive quantities of water to prevent servers from overheating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAI data centers waste millions of gallons of water,\u201d Kelce quips in the video campaign. \u201cThat\u2019s why Liquid Death and Garage Beer have teamed up. We want your pee to cool these data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, as a crowd of people walk through a field sipping their branded beverages, they sing in unison: \u201cLet\u2019s pee on computers together to save humanity!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a funny commercial. What\u2019s even funnier is that Kelce has unwittingly stumbled upon a real tactic for cooling down data centers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Liquid Death commercial is funny and tongue-in-cheek,\u201d Michael Obradovitch, vice president of Data Center Global Accounts at Ecolab, told TechCrunch. \u201cBut in reality, there is a fair amount of alternative water sources already being used to a similar extent to cool these data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Liquid Death x Garage Beer x Jason Kelce Want Your Pee\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r9OhekhlZ9Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These alternative water sources, when used in data centers, at least partially offset the demand for potable drinking water. One such alternative water source is recycled water, which is made by treating wastewater and sewage water so that they\u2019re safe to use again. Wastewater and sewage water contain many things, including \u2014 you guessed it! \u2014 human urine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t just use pee, but you can clean it and make it into useful water, and that\u2019s what we advocate,\u201d Bruno Pigott, executive director of the WateReuse Association and former acting assistant administrator in water for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be clear: you should not actually contribute gallons of your pee to help cool data centers, as Kelce facetiously suggests. But just for the sake of the thought experiment: what would h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en if you <em>did<\/em> try to cool a data center with a steady stream of pee?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPee contains all sorts of stuff. It contains salts, it contains urea, bacteria, organic matter of all sorts that can leave mineral deposits. If you just put that into a cooling tower or something else, it would require constant cleaning,\u201d said Pigott. \u201cOne of the methods of cooling is called evaporative cooling, where hot air is passed through water to remove heat through evaporation. Can you imagine if you just poured urine through hot air?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do have the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> to turn our urine into potable drinking water \u2014 that\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/34688-recycled-astronaut-pee-boosts-deep-space-travel.html\">what astronauts do in space<\/a>, since they can only bring so much water with them on their spacecraft. But that isn\u2019t efficient at a large scale, and even if it were, it\u2019s not like scientists can just access millions of gallons of pee at will (well, not unless Kelce really commits to the bit). Instead, our toilet water ends up in wastewater and sewage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s where water treatment facilities come in, providing recycled water to spare us from the smell of evaporated urine. These facilities use membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and other processes to treat water until it\u2019s clean enough for industrial use. In some cases, this water can even be treated to the point that it\u2019s drinkable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe use recycled water for cooling for all kinds of industries, and we have for decades,\u201d Dr. Greta Zornes, practice leader for water reuse at the engineering firm CDM Smith, told TechCrunch. \u201cSo this is only one application, but definitely, there\u2019s been a boom in recycled water for data center cooling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Zornes has worked on water reuse technology for more than two decades, her day-to-day work has shifted with the rising demand for data centers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery day right now, I\u2019m working on recycled water for data centers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When data centers use more recycled water, they don\u2019t pose as much of a burden to the local potable water supply. But industries can only pivot to recycled water use when there is proper infrastructure in place to treat millions of gallons of water every day. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have to be somewhat near a waste water treatment facility that\u2019s sizable enough that you have enough water to use,\u201d Zornes said. \u201cSo when data centers go out into rural areas, a lot of times the wastewater treatment plants just aren\u2019t big enough \u2014 they\u2019re not treating enough water for them to be able to take it and treat it and use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"453\" width=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?w=680\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3155154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg 8660w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=680,453 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=1280,853 1280w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=430,287 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=720,480 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=668,445 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=563,375 563w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=926,617 926w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=708,472 708w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2245923419.jpg?resize=50,33 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-element-caption__text\">Aerial view of data centers in LOudoun County, Virginia.<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>Gerville \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Loudoun County, Virginia, located outside of Washington, D.C., is home to more than 250 data centers, with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/19\/technology\/data-centers-backlash-loudoun-virginia.html\">plans<\/a> to construct at least another two dozen. As of 2025, Loudoun data centers collectively used about <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loudounwater.org\/data-center-water-use\">200 million gallons<\/a> of recycled water each day, but the water footprint of these data centers is so extreme that this only accounts for 43% of daily data center water usage in the area. The other 260 million gallons, or 57% of daily data center water usage, come from potable water supplies, according to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loudounwater.org\/data-center-water-use\">Loudoun Water<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of infrastructure that has to be built out and usually isn\u2019t existing today, and that takes time\u201d Zornes said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the problems \u2014 it\u2019s just the time that it takes to get that done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obradovitch thinks that the AI industry could even drive resources toward building out this kind of infrastructure to scale water treatment. Meta, for example, will invest <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/about.fb.com\/news\/2025\/12\/advancing-water-stewardship-in-metas-data-center-communities\/\">at least $270 million<\/a> in wastewater infrastructure projects near its data centers (the company also loses about $4 billion each quarter on its Reality Labs division).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s where data centers can actually come in and be anchors of water infrastructure,\u201d Obradovitch said. \u201cThere\u2019s a number of cases and examples where data centers, as part of their engagement with communities, have committed funding and capital to some of these municipalities to help in addressing some of those exact challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the policy side, Pigott is advocating for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/watereuse.org\/senators-introduce-bipartisan-advancing-water-reuse-act\/\">legislation<\/a> that would provide a 30% tax credit to help industries scale their recycled water infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe think it would greatly accelerate the pace with which data centers and other industries entered into this area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there\u2019s some unintentional <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> behind Liquid Death\u2019s joke, the commercial and its virality serve as a reminder to the tech industry that the environmental demands of data centers have become a mainstream concern. According to a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/709772\/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">recent Gallup poll<\/a>, about seven out of ten Americans oppose data centers in their communities, and AI products continue to face backlash from consumers who feel as though the technology is being forced into their lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m glad that people are concerned about water, and anything that raises awareness of water, however crude it may be, could actually be beneficial,\u201d Pigott said. \u201cIt gives us a chance to educate the public about what we\u2019re doing today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/08\/20\/ok-can-we-actually-cool-data-centers-with-our-pee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a cheeky marketing campaign, Liquid Death teamed up with former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce to share a solution to mitigate the environmental impact of AI data centers, which require massive quantities of water to prevent servers from overheating. \u201cAI data centers waste millions of gallons of water,\u201d Kelce quips in the video campaign&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-744600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=744600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=744600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=744600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=744600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}