We are quite happy to share that our project proposal to FORMAS, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, has recevied funding of 3 million SEK via the annual open call to continue research on the urine dehydration technology. Through this project, the overall goal will be to develop next generation urine dehydrator prototypes that are capable of recovering from urine >95% N, 100% P, and 100% K, in order to produce dry pellets with <5% moisture, but high fertiliser value: >10% N, >2.5% P, and >5% K. The work will be conducted at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences over 3 years between 2020 and 2023.
Project Abstract: To work towards the goal of ‘bringing sanitation to all people, everywhere’, we are developing a new, simple, yet potentially revolutionary nutrient recycling technology called alkaline urine dehydration. This technology can convert human urine into dry, hygienic, and high-quality fertiliser pellets. In this project, our aim will be to develop better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that influence the dehydration of human urine. We will do this via three work packages that will analyse three interdependent mechanisms that influence the treatment efficiency: water removal from urine, inhibition of urease enzymes, and recovery of nitrogen.