Urine diversion can provide a renewable nutrient source to be used as an agricultural fertilizer product, and avoid the energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and depletion of non-renewable resources caused by synthetic fertilizers. The goal of this research was to compare snap bean and turnip cultivation using fertilizer treatments of synthetic fertilizer, urine supplemented with synthetic fertilizer, urine-only, and a no fertilizer control. This was carried out in field trials to determine the effectiveness of urine fertilizer by comparing yield, plant nutrient content, nutrient leaching, and the soil composition. The fertilizer treatments were all dosed at equal amounts of nitrogen in accordance with recommended plant nutrient requirements. The results showed that urine supplemented with synthetic fertilizer can produce comparable yields to synthetic fertilizer for both snap beans and turnips. Additionally, urine consistently supplied adequate levels of nitrogen to the crops, but needed supplementation of potassium for adequate growth and nutrient uptake. Fall turnips and spring snap beans had the best overall growth for synthetic fertilizer and urine supplemented with synthetic fertilizer with nitrogen use efficiency of 21-38% and 26-30%, respectively. Urine-only fertilizer had improved yield over the no fertilizer control indicating that urine was supplying nutrients and promoting growth, which can have impacts in regions that have limited fertilizer access. Urine as an alternative fertilizer source can assist in closing the nutrient cycle by recycling nutrients, which will further benefit both agriculture and the environment.

Urine, a sustainable fertilizer for the future?

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.