Human urine as a safe, inexpensive fertilizer for food crops

These cabbage plants were fertilized using human urine. Credit: Courtesy of Helvi Heinonen-Tanski, University of Kuopio, Finland

Researchers in Finland are reporting successful use of an unlikely fertilizer for farm fields that is inexpensive, abundantly available, and undeniably organic -- human urine. Their report on use of urine to fertilize cabbage crops is scheduled for the Oct. 31 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Despite the 'yuk!' factor, urine from healthy individuals is virtually sterile, free of bacteria or viruses. Naturally rich in nitrogen and other nutrients, urine has been used as fertilizer since ancient times. Urine fertilization is rare today. However, it has gained attention in some areas as farmers embrace organic production methods and try to reduce use of synthetic fertilizers.

In the new study, Surendra K. Pradhan and colleagues collected human urine from private homes and used it to fertilize cabbage crops. Then they compared the urine-fertilized crops with those grown with conventional industrial fertilizer and no fertilizer.

The analysis showed that growth and biomass were slightly higher with urine than with conventional fertilizer. There was no difference in nutritional value of the cabbage. "Our results show that human urine could be used as a fertilizer for cabbage and does not pose any significant hygienic threats or leave any distinctive flavor in food products," the report concludes.

Source: ACS

   

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4.1/5 after 24 votes

• Nemo - Oct 08, 2007
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  What about things like birth control hormones and antibiotics and other drugs? If those things can be found in lakes and rivers after huge dilution direct treatment must lead to a much greater presentation on the plants.
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• Doug_Huffman - Oct 09, 2007
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  Risk/benefit ratio affected by presence of human drug/metabolites?
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• AllHeart - Oct 13, 2007
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  We have used stale urine (few days old in container) as effective weed killer. Also nitrogen excellent for base of lemon trees (the odd serepticous urination does them the world of good)But I think urine actually has limitations as fertiliser - too acidic/ammonia but uric acid helps earth retain moisture.
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• black_arachknight - Nov 08, 2007
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  Human urine must be diluted at 15 or 20 to 1 with water for fertilizer. Since it has been stated that Americans have some of the most expensive urine as far as use of vitamins and other supplements, fertilizer may be a great way yo go.There are many cities around the world that are using both liquid and solid human waste as fertilizer once it has been treated. I would think that someone using their own urine would know whether or not they were using harmful drugs.
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