Reclaiming Nutrients from Human Urine | Noe-Hays & Nace

Reclaiming nutrients from human urine - Results from applied research at the nation’s first urine recycling program
Human urine is the leading source of nutrient pollution and eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems throughout many densely populated watersheds. The conventional approach of applying end-of-pipe nutrient removal technologies has proven impractical or unaffordable in many communities, but a radically different strategy may provide an alternate solution.
Since 2012, the Rich Earth Institute has been operating the nation’s first community-scale urine recycling program. Using waterless urinals and source-separating toilets, over 8,000 gallons of urine has been diverted from the wastewater stream and processed into fertilizer for local farms. As the project has scaled up, the Institute has developed and tested an array of innovative methods and technologies for the collection, transport, treatment, and application of urine fertilizer.
Two important areas of investigation relating to the agricultural use of urine-based fertilizers concern pathogens and residual pharmaceuticals. The Rich Earth Institute is proud to be a collaborating partner in the University of Michigan’s two-year study into the persistence of pharmaceuticals and biological contaminants in crop tissues, soil, and groundwater.
The capture and reuse of urine as fertilizer is an ancient idea, but as communities with limited budgets struggle to meet tightening wastewater permit requirements, this forgotten strategy is gaining new relevance as a tool for environmental protection. This talk will explore the physical, social, and ecological interactions that are currently in play at the intersection of sanitation and agriculture.
Sponsoring Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Special Lecture Series: EWRE Seminar
Speaker Bios:
Abraham Noe-Hays has been working with dry sanitation systems since 1990. He holds a B.A. in Human Ecology–with concentrations in agroecology and compost science–from the College of the Atlantic, where his interest in recycling human manure led to an internship at Woods End Research Laboratory and his thesis project, “An Experiment in Thermophilic Composting Toilet Design.” He has operated Full Circle Compost Consulting since 2001, providing complete design, manufacture, and maintenance services to individuals and institutions with dry toilet systems. He is also the eco-sanitation expert for Sustainable Harvest International, and has helped SHI initiate urine-diversion projects in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Belize. In addition to hands-on dry sanitation work, Abraham gives lectures and leads workshops at conferences and schools, and writes articles on the topic.
Kim Nace holds an M.A. in International Administration from World Learning and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Keene State College. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana and has taught children of all ages. She coordinated research funded by the MacArthur Foundation and later served as an Elementary School Principal – at Central School in rural Vermont and the American International School in Chennai, India. She has been passionate about sustainable sanitation alternatives ever since creating an educational video about composing toilets for her 1989 master’s thesis project, along with her husband, Mike Earley. Now she is pleased to again be engaging others in the possibilities and practicalities of human manure recycling at the Rich Earth Institute. Kim and her family use a urine diverting composting toilet.
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