Startup Transforms Concert Urine into Agricultural Fertiliser

NPK Recovery, a start-up situated at the University of the West of England (UWE), is undertaking what it describes as a “pioneering” experiment. This initiative involves transforming human urine, specifically that gathered from concerts held in Bristol during the summer, into plant fertiliser. In recent years, the cost of commercially produced fertilisers has experienced volatility, attributed to factors such as shifting weather patterns, disruptions in transportation, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hazel McShane, representing the women’s urinal company Peequal, commented: “This is really pioneering technology that will help farmers be sustainable.” The fertiliser developed through this experiment is presently undergoing trials. It is being applied to mustard plants cultivated at UWE and to wheat plants at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The method employed mirrors that of wastewater treatment, where bacteria decompose urine into ammonium nitrate, a compound essential for plant growth. Ms Bell-Reeves stated: “With a urine-based fertiliser, you wouldn’t see price fluctuations.” Furthermore, NPK Recovery aims to utilize waste urine from concert facilities, which typically travels hundreds of miles for processing. The urine used in these trials was gathered by Peequal, the women’s urinal company, from events such as Massive Attack’s concert on the Downs this summer and Bristol Pride. Olivia Wilson, a research and development scientist at NPK Recovery, remarked: “Our fertiliser recaptures nutrients that would end up in waste water treatment otherwise, and the bacterial process is easy to scale up.” Fertiliser derived from urine is already in use in both the USA and Europe. Lucy Bell-Reeves of NPK Recovery commented: “The fertiliser we’re producing is from an infinite resource.” Ms Bell-Reeves further noted: “Instead of driving this waste urine from portable toilets around the country, it can be transformed here and turned into something useful.” Should the university trials prove successful, NPK intends to proceed with commercial trials in the upcoming year.