US water reuse start-up, Epic Cleantec, is using its own brand of recycled water beer to demonstrate the possibilities of water reuse.
The San Franciso-based business joined forces with Devil's Canyon Brewing Company to create the one-of-a-kind project - Epic OneWater Brew.
While this beer will not be sold commercially, its message is loud and clear. By using recycled water, we can reduce our reliance on precious natural resources and help build a more sustainable future.
Epic Cleantec is taking its beer to water forums and trade shows around the world to change the conversation about the global water challenges that lie ahead.
Rethinking how communities handle water
Speaking to ABC News 7, Epic Cleantec co-founder and CEO Aaron Tartakovsky said: “We're not just trying to introduce new technologies. We're actually fundamentally trying to help people rethink how our communities handle water.”
To create the special brew, Epic Cleantec transported over 7.57 m3 of recycled water from its Fifteen Fifty hi-rise apartment building to Devil Canyon Brewing Company. The 39-storey building boasts a greywater reuse system designed to recycle 7,500 gallons of water per day, or up to 28.39 m3/year.
This greywater, specifically collected from laundry and showers, is treated and is then reused for toilet and urinal flushing within the building.
It took two weeks for the brewing process to then create a Kolsch-style ale to be professionally canned and labelled to take to Greenbuild, the largest sustainable building conference in the United States.
“Seeing our OneWater Brew come to life after months of planning was truly epic!” the company said.
Pioneering a modern approach to onsite water reuse
Epic Cleantec, secured $9.4 million in funding in 2021 to further develop its water treatment and reuse technology.
The company, which claims to be pioneering a modern approach to onsite water reuse for sustainable building design, has designed a process where by an on-site water treatment system is installed in the basement of a building to treat and recycle both greywater and wastewater throughout the day.
After treatment, the purified water can then be used within the building for purposes including toilet flushing and plant irrigation.
The approach is said to help a building reuse up to 95 per cent of its water.
Sustainable brewing
Although its water treatment and reuse technology is used across a raft of sectors from corporate offices, to hotels and even stadiums, it also provides water reuse technology for sustainable brewing, winery and distillery practices which have suffered from the lowest precipitation levels on record since 1895.
One gallon of beer requires seven gallons of water to produce, and one gallon of wine uses 6-8 gallons of water typically.
With sustainable brewing and winery wastewater management, this sector can save on production costs and achieve water resiliency in the process.
Epic Cleantec said: “Beyond water conservation methods such as drip irrigation and soil moisture control, craft beverage producers can gain invaluable water security from advanced water recycling technologies.
“Beverage industry leaders have the opportunity to minimize the environmental impact of alcohol production and establish long-term water management strategies within their facilities.”
