Generating fertilizer from human urine
Kara Nelson, Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2023 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2024.
Over-dependence on non-renewable inputs and carbon-intensive processes for fertilizer production contribute to the growing challenge of feeding the world’s 7 billion people. Alternatively, it is estimated that the nutrients in human urine could offset one-third of the conventional fertilizer demand in agriculture. In this research, we propose a combination of ion-exchange- and precipitation-based process to recover nutrients and other useful ions present in urine and generate controlled-release solid fertilizers. In particular, we plan to create a biochar-mineral-hydrogel composite as a controlled release fertilizer using components derived from urine.
Role: The undergraduate student will conduct experiments in an environmental engineering lab. The experiments will focus on creating composites of nutrient-rich mineral derived from urine and testing different polymers as the binding agent to create fertilizer beads.
Qualifications: The student should be interested in conducting experiments involving chemical and environmental engineering principles. Previous background in water chemistry and materials science will be a plus.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Utsav Shashvatt, Post-Doc
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Engineering, Design & Technologies Biological & Health Sciences