Urine recovery for food production
We initiated the experiments to test, for the first time, the feasibility of recovering human urine from a building to produce alternative fertilizers for local crops.
During the month of March, experiments began in the laboratories dedicated to urban agriculture integrated in the greenhouse on the fourth floor of the ICTA-UAB building. The alternative organic fertigation will be evaluated on two varieties of tomato cultivation under a hydroponic system with the contribution of nitrogen obtained from human urine coming from the building, in comparison with the conventional inorganic fertilization of commonly used products. To do so, the urine is source-separated and processed in the building by means of a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor where the process of biological nitrification takes place.
This experiment is part of the objectives of the project “Agriculture integrated in buildings for an effective ecological transition” (BINAFET), where Sostenipra, together with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, proposes to analyze the synergies between buildings and urban agriculture to contribute to the ecological transition of cities by utilizing local resources, improving the performance of horticultural crops and increasing the quality of food production.
More information about the BINAFET project at www.fertilecity.com.