Orianna Bretschger received a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Northern Arizona and, after a career in aerospace and government consulting, earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Southern California. After 12 years of technology development and validation, she co-founded Aquacycl. Dr. Bretschger is a 2021 Cartier Women's Initiative Science and Technology Pioneer Laureate, a 2019 National Academy of Sciences New Voices Fellow, and a 2022 Unreasonable Fellow. Under her leadership, Aquacycl became a 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist for advancing decarbonized industrial wastewater treatment.
When we talk about the global water crisis, the conversation rarely turns to what's happening inside factories, breweries, and processing plants - yet industrial wastewater is one of the most overlooked drivers of the problem. Industrial processes generate a significant share of the world's untreated discharge, and much of it is also the hardest to treat, leading to the highest emissions. In this talk, Orianna Bretschger, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of Aquacycl, will explore why industrial wastewater has stayed out of the spotlight, what's at stake for communities and ecosystems when it's left unaddressed, and how new treatment technologies like Aquacycl's BETT are making it possible to tackle this challenge at scale. Whether you work in sustainability, water policy, or industry, this talk will change how you think about what's flowing out of the plants that make the products we use every day.
August 25–27, 2026 · Live on SuperCrowd.tv, syndicated via the e360tv Network · Founders Circle tickets $100 (includes the hardbound Book)
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