A new study, undertaken by researchers at the University of Surrey, has explored how human urine could be utilised to address challenges in fertiliser production and wastewater treatment.
Although urine makes up around 1% of wastewater, it includes essential nutrients needed by plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, found.
In conducting their study, researchers explored methods for recovering these nutrients and concentrating them into a useable form, using a procedure known as forward osmosis. This, in turn, could support the development of more sustainable fertiliser production.
‘An underutilised resource’
“It is strange to say, but it has the added benefit of being true – our pee is an underutilised resource,” commented Dr Siddharth Gadkari, lecturer in Chemical Process Engineering.
“Even though it contains the key nutrients we need for agriculture, we currently treat it as waste. Our research shows that with the right treatment approach, we can recover these nutrients efficiently while reducing the energy demands of wastewater treatment.”
Read more: Study explores how human urine can be recycled into sustainable fertiliser
Membrane fouling
The research team also explored the incidence of membrane fouling, when organic and biological material accumulates on a membrane’s surface over time, reducing efficiency and performance. As they discovered, basic filtration can improve system performance and reduce membrane fouling, making the system more viable.
“What is particularly exciting is that we have demonstrated how this system behaves under realistic conditions using real human urine,” Gadkari added. “If we can effectively manage fouling, this technology can move much closer to practical, long-term use.”
The work was carried out in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, where source-separated urine systems are already being explored at scale.
As the researchers note, their work could help reduce reliance on energy-intensive fertiliser production, lower carbon emissions and support more sustainable water and nutrient management worldwide. Read more here.
