Human waste recovery to utilize as fertilizer

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM
14 May 2021

Description of the innovative solution

The normal range of urine output is 800 to 2,000 milliliters per day. This urine is rich in nitrogen and contains phosphorus, but these resources are currently still flushed without being utilized. Phosphorus is a vital resource for world's food production, however it is currently not a renewable resource, the limited reserve of earth's phosphate are currently being depleted at an alarming rate. This innovation proposes to apply specific processing to urine, such as fermentation, freezing or dilution, in order to use it as a potent, cheap and safe fertilizer. Urine could be recovered at a big...

The normal range of urine output is 800 to 2,000 milliliters per day. This urine is rich in nitrogen and contains phosphorus, but these resources are currently still flushed without being utilized. Phosphorus is a vital resource for world's food production, however it is currently not a renewable resource, the limited reserve of earth's phosphate are currently being depleted at an alarming rate. This innovation proposes to apply specific processing to urine, such as fermentation, freezing or dilution, in order to use it as a potent, cheap and safe fertilizer. Urine could be recovered at a big scale to solve the phosphorus crisis and reduce the environmental impacts of nitrogen fertiliser production.

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Literature review on ecological sanitation
Scientific paper
Study that reviews the feasibility of ecological sanitation and notes important shortcomings where additional research is still needed
Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM
Guidelines for the Application of Sewage Sludge to Agricultural Land
Report
Leaflet explaining guidelines for British farms when using sewage sludge on agricultural lands, including classifications of different types of sludge.
Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

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