Abstract
The increasing global population, over the last few decades, brought about the rise in synthetic fertiliser market prices along with explosive agricultural demand. Source separation of urine can be one of the most effective solutions for nutrient recovery as a fertiliser, transforming the conventional linear economy into a circular economy. The urine diversion from wastewater can improve conventional wastewater treatment plants to be energy-efficient and cost-effective, as a considerable quantity of nutrients in wastewater is derived from urine. The stabilisation and sanitisation of source separated urine have been studied earlier by applying physical, biological, chemical, and electrochemical treatment processes. Further processes such as evaporation, freeze-thawing, and membrane processes have been investigated to recover as well as concentrate nutrients as a urine-derived fertiliser. As such, this review discusses the urine diversion and collection systems as well as previous technologies for the urine treatment and nutrient recovery. In addition, the industrial research hub funded by Australian Research Council (ARC) which focuses on the Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE) is introduced in this paper. The ARC NiCE hub aims to achieve four themes, including urine collection, processing, fertiliser optimisation, and fertiliser end-use, moving towards a closed circular nutrient economy.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call