Brewing Company Teaming Up With UC Davis To Collect Urine For Science
DAVIS (CBS13) - If you're into drinking craft beer, pee at Sudwerk Brewing for science sake.
"OK, that's weird, but I think we're into weird," said Thomas Miller, co-founder of the craft beer company.
It sounds weird alright, but researchers at UC Davis say flushing away urine is the real waste, which is why they've teamed up with Sudwerk in Davis to help collect it.
"Instead of trying to get rid of it, we're trying to make a product," said Harold Leverenz, a researcher at UC Davis.
The idea sprung while Leverenz was working with Caltrans waste water treatment. His mission now is to save urine -- and tons of it -- hoping to one day manufacture it by the masses into fertilizer.
"Recover the nutrients and take the nutrients back into ag systems for food production," he said.
But collecting 50 gallons, which they'll need each month for their study, isn't easy.
"We had to find a way to collect urine in a public area," Leverenz added.
So over a three-year period, every weekend, his team developed a concept and built the one-of-a-kind, stainless steel keg-cut urinal collection coined the "pee hive".
Co-founder of Sudwerk Brewing said the partnership is a no-miss and sits outside the company.
"The potential for this project is incredible, from taking away nutrients from our waterways and pollutants from the waterways, to actually creating sustainable alternative fertilizers, to the commercial fertilizers that are available now," said Miller.
While the project is in its beginning stages, Leverenz says the big push will be to introduce the collection systems for companies embracing green technology.
Using this technology will help reduce water use and pollution. Therefore, saving urine and ultimately, they hope, the world.
Researchers said the average person flushes 2,000 gallons of water each year.
As an added incentive, Sudwerk is giving its patrons $1 off of select brews.