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Each Bitcoin transaction uses 4,200 gallons of water — enough to fill a swimming pool — and could potentially cause freshwater shortages (www.tomshardware.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

someone from a totally different thread mentioned that the water can't stay in the system because of whatever mineral stuff from the cooling pipe/anti-algae/anti-corrosive has to leave the system after certain cycles. So unless you have a treatment plant down stream it's not exactly "drinkable" freshwater. (and I doubt water regulation would allow that to happen.)

The consume here means that water is not usable for other application. How? I don't know, maybe it can be used for power wash?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It probably is still a lot easier to make potable than sewer water or even river water though. At lease you know exactly what contamination is in it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Water used to cool data centers is either consumed, meaning it evaporates into the atmosphere via the data center’s cooling towers or discharged, as industrial wastewater, usually to a local wastewater treatment plant.

It can't just be dumped into a river, has to go to a sewer treatment plant.

edit: They do recirculate it, but it eventually needs to be replaced. And some facilities have treatment plants on site, so doesn't necessarily needed to go to a sewer treatment plant.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I agree, it would eventually have it's own ecosystem around that water usage if "fresh" water or not really drinking water related use is required. At this point I think it's just cost related, cheaper just to dump into ocean.