Can urine help save food production under crises?

Published

Field with crops. Two persons in the background.

Prithvi spoke with Agnes Bondesson, SLU Global’s International Scientific Communications Officer about the ongoing food and fertiliser price inflation. Check out the article here: https://internt.slu.se/en/news-originals/2022/3/can-urine-help-save-food-production-under-crises/ or read below –

With the current state in the world, seen to conflicts and climate change, the question about food production in case of short-term or long-term crises has been emphasised. Sweden has a solid food production, but it is a production vulnerable for disruptions of imported products such as fertilisers, diesel, pesticides, seeds and protein feed as well as electricity. One of the main components in conventional plant production is the use of imported fertilisers. When the climate crisis, higher prices and insecurity in import forces us to rethink our ways to use artificial fertilisers there is a need to see other solutions. 

Possibilities for changing to resource recovery in Kampala’s on-site sanitation regime

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We are proud to share a recently published study from the SPANS project related to opportunities for introducing resource recovery innovations in Uganda. In particular we look at the four source-separating on-site sanitation systems – niches. The study was performed in collaboration with Makerere University and RISE. It uses the multi-level perspectives of socio-technical systems to deepen our  understand the existing situation (regime). Through this in-depth analysis of current practices in the Ugandan sanitation sector, we have been able to highlight stress points that could be used to leverage a change to new systems and ways of doing things. Stakeholder specific suggestions for action based on results of this study include:

  • Utilities should pilot innovative solutions in order to demonstrate their advantages and build knowledge.
  • Universities should adapt curricula to break the dominance of sewage systems, including more on-site solutions and Best Available Technology (BAT) approach to selection of systems.
  • Researchers should disseminate knowledge regarding technical advantages of the niches.
  • Niches should focus on possibilities for simplifying organisational structures, streamlining and clarifying roles and responsibilities.
  • Policy makers should adapt policy environments to reflect actual and planned reality of sanitation services, including making public funding available for the on-site regime and its niches.

 

For more information contact Jennifer McConville.

Another interview about urine drying!

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Prithvi was interviewed by Shivangi Agarwal from DownToEarth, the fortnightly magazine focused on politics of environment and development, published in India by the Centre for Science and Environment. They wanted to know what are the benefits of urine recycling and how it can be applied in an Indian context. To find out more, click here.

Omogen, men med stor potential – LĂ€s vĂ„r review-artikel om BSF larver frass som organiskt gödningsmedel

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LÀgligt med EU:s beslut att anta en förordning som reglerar produktion och anvÀndning av insektsfrass pÄ EU-marknaden ((EU) 2021/1925) har vi publicerat en review-artikel  i Journal of Waste Management om kunskapslÀget för anvÀndning fluglarvsfrass som organiskt gödningsmedel. Vi har beskrivit fördelarna med att anvÀnda fluglarvsfrass som organiskt gödningsmedel som har stöd i vetenskapliga studier, diskuterat ytterligare möjliga fördelar som Ànnu inte har pÄvisats, pekat pÄ nÄgra av de utmaningar som kan mötas vid anvÀndning av detta gödningsmedel samt kartlagt kunskapsluckorna som för nÀrvarande finns. Vill du veta mer, lÀs hÀr.

Immature, but with great potential – Read our review on BSF larvae frass as an organic fertilizer

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Timely with the decision from the EU to adopt a regulation that governs the production and use of insect frass on the EU market ((EU) 2021/1925) we have compiled a review article published in the Journal of Waste Management on state of knowledge of using BSF larvae frass as an organic fertiliser. We have outlined the advantages of using BSF larvae frass as organic fertiliser that has been found so far, discussed possible additional benefits that have not yet been demonstrated, pointed to some of the challenges that could be faced using this fertiliser as well as elucidated the gaps in knowledge that currently exist. If you want to find out more, read here.

Eksempler pÄ sirkulÊre avlÞpssystemer i Europa og Norge

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Seminarium pÄ Norsk Vannförening i Oslo kring cirkulÀra lösningar i Norge. Björn deltog och presenterade sin vision för framtida avloppslösningar som Àr helt cirkulÀra i huset. Visionen Àr lÄngt ifrÄn diskussionerna om hur vi skall behandla vÄrt avlopp idag, dock finns de flesta delar för detta system redan idag, det stora steget Àr att faktiskt vÄga foga samman alla delar. PÄ seminariet deltog personer frÄn akademin och frÄn industrin. Alla var eniga om att kÀllsorterande system Àr system för framtiden. Norge stÄr inför stora investeringar inom VA-sektorn för att minska miljöpÄverkan frÄn avloppsutslÀppen. Hemse Kjerstadius frÄn NSVA presenterade i Helsingborg och visade att man kan bygga sorterande avloppssystem Àven i centrala staden och motivera det med ekonomi och miljöfaktorer. Det var Àven flera presentationer frÄn Norska deltagare som visade att det i vissa centraliserade sammanhang kan vara vÀl vÀrt att bygga sorterande avloppssystem med en kombination av centraliserad och decentraliserad behandling beroende pÄ vilken fraktion det handlade om. Det som mÄnga lyfte fram under seminariet, och som gÀller Àven i Sverige sÄ finns det mÄnga oklarheter kring regler och lagar kopplade till sanitet som inte Àr centraliserad.

LĂ€nk till programmet

Alkalisk urintorkning, dess function och system

Examples of circular sanitation solutions in Europe and Norway

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A seminar was held at the Norwegian water association in Oslo focusing on circular sanitation solutions in Norway. Björn participated and presented his vision for of the sanitation system of the future – being off-grid and fully circular inside a house. The vision is far ahead of the discussions about how we should treat our wastewater today. Most systems needed for a fully circular sanitation system already exist today, though they are still yet to be combined.

At the moment, Norway is facing major investments in the water and wastewater sector with a goal to bring down the environmental pollution. Hamse Kjerstadius from NSVA in presented their system with source separation installed in the city center of Helsingborg. His motivation for this implementation was economy and the environment. There were also several presentations from Norwegian delegates showing that under some specific circumstances source separating systems are economically more feasible when combining local and central treatments. One important factor lifted at the seminar, and that is true for Sweden as well, is that many of the regulations and legislations are unclear when it comes to sanitation that is not based on current conventional system.

The seminar was attended by people from academia, industry, and municipalities, where all were united in the vision of source separating system as the wastewater technology of the future.

Link to program

Alkaline urine dehydration, function and system.

 

Prithvi and Bjorn write a feature article on urine recycling for IWA’s magazine – The Source

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Decentralised sanitation systems based on source separation and urine recycling can contribute much to the existing wastewater regime. Prithvi Simha and Bjorn VinnerÄs show how innovative technologies such as urine drying can improve the circularity of sanitation systems. Read the full article here: https://www.thesourcemagazine.org/the-disruptive-opportunity-for-mainstreaming-urine-recycling/