(don't) Waste Water! | Water Tech to Solve the World

What Wastewater Products Can You Actually Buy for Christmas?🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab My best water tech analysis straight to your inbox: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6884833968848474112 ⬇️ IN THIS VIDEO ⬇️ This special episode showcases 17 commercially available products made from recycled wastewater, desalination brine, and industrial water byproducts. From ski resort snow to table salt, beer to bourbon, cosmetics to clothing, these items prove that circular water economy isn't just theory—it's hitting store shelves as legitimate luxury goods and everyday essentials. 🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️ 🎿 Big Sky Resort now makes artificial snow from recycled village wastewater using Montana's largest zero liquid discharge system 🧂 Desalination brine transforms into gourmet table salts and superfood ingredients instead of marine discharge 🍺 Reused wastewater beer, rainwater whisky, and coffee-waste vodka prove beverage innovation is real 👖 Jeans from Everlane and Triarchy achieve 95-98% water recycling through closed-loop finishing 🧴 L'Oreal's Burgos "waterloop factory" reuses 100% of process water for Kerastase production 🧪 Hungarian startup Cycle ferments sewage sludge into bio-acid cleaners shipped worldwide 🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜 Can you really eat products from desalination waste? Aqualia's Alma de Mar table salts and UAE-grown Salicornia demonstrate that brine valorization creates food-safe, even gourmet products through controlled crystallization and aquaponic farming. How are beverage companies using wastewater? H2O Innovation, Epic Cleantec, and Singapore's NEWBrew produce beers from purified wastewater, while Good Vodka upcycles 15 million tons of annual coffee cherry waste and Old Humble proofs whisky with collected Texas rainwater. What makes water-smart clothing different? Everlane's Saitex partnership recycles 98% of process water, Triarchy replaces chemical bleaching with ozone, and Girlfriend Collective turns plastic bottles into sportswear while capturing microplastics. Which home products close the water loop? Porcelanosa ceramics operates zero liquid discharge, EnviroCopy paper circulates water 30 times per production cycle, and Vuna's Aurin turns urine into nitrogen fertilizer now scaling across Europe. ⏰ TIME STAMPS ⏰ 00:00 17 Wastewater Products 00:17 Big Sky Montana 04:31 Alma de Mar 06:12 Salicornia 07:49 Tasting 09:34 They almost made it... 10:31 H2O Innovation Pale Ale 12:43 Good Vodka 14:24 Old Humble Special Reserve 16:16 Naif Face Scrub 18:27 Kerastase by l'Oreal 20:09 Everlane Jeans 22:29 Triarchy Jeans 23:38 Girlfriend Collective Tank Top 25:07 Himba Fish Cuff 25:32 Innorecycling Water Can 25:59 Aurin by Vuna 27:31 Porcelanosa Tiles 28:56 Sustana Enviro Copy 30:15 Cycle Biocleaners 32:02 Test Results 33:03 An Epic Surprise...Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How Is Aqua Membranes Scaling 3D-Printed Water Membranes Spacers from Garage Startup to 200,000 Square Foot Manufacturing Facility? Let's find out!🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab⬇️ IN THIS VIDEO ⬇️Aqua Membranes manufactures reverse osmosis membrane elements with 3D-printed spacers that reduce energy consumption and pressure drops in industrial water treatment across mining, semiconductor, and beverage sectors. Founded 15 years ago by Rodney Herrington in his garage, the water membranes company now operates from Albuquerque and a new 200,000-square-foot Knoxville facility led by CEO Craig Beckman and CTO CJ Kurth.🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️🖨️ Proprietary 3D printing technology creates Fibonacci spiral-patterned spacers that optimize fluid flow and reduce fouling compared to traditional mesh spacers found in water membranes⚡ Energy efficiency gains through reduced pressure drops enable customers to lower operating costs and extend cleaning cycles in reverse osmosis systems🏭 Vertical integration strategy from material science through full element manufacturing de-risks technology adoption for major water membranes manufacturers🎯 Strategic customer validation from Fortune 500 companies including Coca-Cola, Micron Technology, and exclusive distribution partnership with Osmo Flow in Australia📈 Scalable manufacturing platform with capacity for 25,000 elements annually in current configuration and 9x expansion potential in the Knoxville facility🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜Why can't Aqua Membranes just license their spacer technology to major water tech manufacturers? The membrane industry requires extensive real-world validation before adopting new materials, forcing innovators to manufacture complete elements at a commercial scale before established players will consider licensing.What makes 3D-printed spacers superior to traditional mesh? The Fibonacci spiral pattern eliminates straight-line flow channels that cause fouling, while UV-cured polyacrylate provides precise control over channel geometry for customized applications.How did Aqua Membranes choose Knoxville for manufacturing expansion? After evaluating 20 U.S. and Mexican locations, they selected Knoxville for its business environment, educational resources, and capacity to support 95 jobs with multi-shift expansion potential.What role does Albuquerque play now that Knoxville is operational? Albuquerque transitions to R&D, focusing on co-creation with customers, testing new patterns and applications, including gas separation, while maintaining identical equipment to troubleshoot production issues.When will the new printing technology become available? The second-generation process moves to Knoxville in March 2025, with commercial launch targeted for late 2026, offering faster speeds, improved tolerance, and lower costs.#️⃣ Mentioned Links #️⃣Aqua MembranesOsmofloHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How Does Water-as-a-Service Drive Billion-Dollar Exits in Infrastructure Investment?🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab ⬇️ IN THIS VIDEO ⬇️ Seven Seas Water Group is a vertically integrated water infrastructure platform that designs, builds, finances, operates, and maintains water and wastewater treatment facilities under long-term service agreements. The company recently completed a successful company exit from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners to EQT Infrastructure, operating over 210 water-as-a-service contracts across the Caribbean and United States with particular expertise in brackish water desalination and decentralized treatment systems. Henry Charrabe is the CEO of Seven Seas Water Group, who led the company through a successful four-year transformation and company exit, previously serving in executive roles at Fluence Corporation, and is recognized for pioneering the application of water-as-a-service business models in US municipal and industrial markets. 🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️ 💰 Vertically integrated platform - Seven Seas handles design, engineering, financing, construction, and operations in-house, eliminating margin stacking for lower costs and faster execution than multi-partner water tech competitors⚡ Proven track record at scale - 210+ active water purchase agreements with 15-30 year terms demonstrate repeatable success new entrants cannot easily replicate🔄 Patient capital meets expertise - The company exit proves infrastructure investors holding 4+ years combined with deep water knowledge generate exceptional returns in underinvested US infrastructure📊 Public vs private dynamics - Public water equities offer lower risk and liquidity; private funds deliver superior returns for patient capital—both forming a necessary growth ecosystem🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜 Why is water-as-a-service winning? Performance-based contracts align incentives—investors only get paid when delivering contracted water quality and quantity.What makes the US market attractive? Massive infrastructure underinvestment, creditworthy municipal off-takers, and decentralized systems create exceptional deployment opportunities.How do private and public returns differ? Private water investments achieve 10x returns with patient capital, while public equities deliver 14-15% annually with lower risk and immediate liquidity.Why fewer IPOs today? Cyclical markets favor private-to-private exits when strategic buyers offer better valuations than public market multiples.What's the biggest opportunity? Reducing waste beats new supply—California loses 32% to inefficiencies, making conservation more economically attractive than desalination.#️⃣ Mentioned Links #️⃣ Seven Seas' websiteLoughlin Water PartnersOrange Ridge CapitalRobin Castelli's bookHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How Do 32+ Electrochemical Water Oxidation Technologies Compete for PFAS Destruction Market Share? Listen to this!🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner, Georg Fischer: https://www.gfps.com/com/en/products-solutions/solutions/design-prefabrication.html#!How Do 32+ Electrochemical Water Oxidation Technologies Compete for PFAS Destruction Market Share?Electrochemical Water Oxidation is an emerging treatment technology that uses electrical current to break down persistent contaminants like PFAS in industrial wastewater. With 32 identified companies developing proprietary systems—17 specifically targeting PFAS destruction—this crowded market represents both intense competition and strong validation of a rapidly growing industrial need.Antoine Walter is a water technology analyst and podcast host who has interviewed nine electrochemical oxidation companies, conducted comprehensive market research across 32 players in the space, and provides strategic insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and water industry executives navigating this competitive landscape.🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️⚡ Power Density Range: Technologies span three orders of magnitude (100-10,000+ A/m²), with higher densities potentially enabling more compact treatment systems💎 Electrode Materials: Boron-Doped Diamond (33%) and Titanium suboxide (28%) lead among PFAS-focused companies, with Mixed Metal Oxide dominant overall🎯 Market Maturity: 53% of PFAS-targeting companies operate at TRL 8 with only two at full commercial deployment (TRL 9)🧪 Defluorination Proof: Four companies have achieved third-party verified >90% defluorination, with half reporting complete PFAS destruction capabilities🏭 Minimal Chemistry: 58% operate with minimal chemical addition, and 83% self-clean through electrical reversal or direct capacity🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜What's the actual market size? Only an estimated 250 of 10 million global industrial facilities have addressed PFAS in wastewater, with perhaps 24 choosing electrochemical oxidation—creating fierce competition for limited installations.How do electrode materials differ? Boron-Doped Diamond offers superior performance but higher costs, while Mixed Metal Oxide and Titanium suboxide provide alternatives, with some companies opting for sacrificial anodes to reduce expenses.What determines system performance? Power density, pH tolerance (46% work at neutral pH), electrode lifetime, and reactor design collectively influence treatment efficiency and operational costs more than any single factor.Are these technologies deployment-ready? Most companies (TRL 7-9) have moved beyond lab-scale, though only Axine and AECOM have reached full commercial deployment with multiple installations.What's the investment opportunity? The collective $120M raised across startups represents capital-efficient validation, with regulatory pressure intensifying and the addressable market potentially growing 10x within three years.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What's to remember from WEFTEC 2025? Here are my 5 Water Tech picks, 3 Marketing Tips, the State of the Union on the Water/AI Nexus, and much more. Wanna get 3 Days at WEFTEC summarized in 70 Minutes? Listen to this!🤫 Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io🙌 Supporters 🙌A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab#️⃣ All the Links Mentioned in this Video #️⃣BDP EnviroTech's website: https://bdpenvirotech.com/Lummus Technology's website: https://www.lummustechnology.com/Weaver Labs' website: https://www.weaver-labs.com/Algafilm's website: https://algafilm.com/CREW Carbon's website: https://crewcarbon.com/GWI's new Water Investment Navigator: https://www.winwaterprojects.io/🎙️ Subscribe and Listen to the Don't Waste Water Podcast HERE 🎙️Podcast Channel: @dwwpodcast Main Channel: @AntoineWalterDWW Smartlink: https://smartlink.ausha.co/dont-waste-waterWebsite: https://dww.show/podcast/🙋 QUESTION: What would you like me to cover next?⏰ TIME CODES ⏰00:00 Introduction01:22 XPRIZE Water Scarcity02:56 3 Shortlisted for XPRIZE07:05 #5 Water Tech Pick - BDP EnviroTech16:03 #4 Water Tech Pick - Lummus Technology23:59 My Rules & Thank You SimpleLab25:01 WEF Board Member Interview28:21 #3 Water Tech Pick - Weaver Labs35:56 #2 Water Tech Pick - Algafilm Technologies45:13 3 Tips to Power Up your Tradeshow Marketing48:27 #1 Water Tech Pick - CREW Carbon59:45 The Water AI Nexus1:01:36 GWI's take at AI (with WEF)1:08:28 Best WEFTEC EverAbout this Podcast:Welcome to the (don't) Waste Water podcast, the leading podcast for water industry professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs seeking deep insights into water tech innovation, investment trends, and strategic moves in the sector. Host Antoine Walter blends his technical expertise with sharp business acumen to deliver weekly episodes featuring candid conversations with C-suite executives, detailed analysis of major water industry developments, and practical insights for water tech startups and seasoned players alike. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.