We enable nutrient recycling and safer toilets. The urine generated in every household is considered as “waste”, which is costly to manage and even after treatment still contributes to environmental problems. Our technology takes this “waste” and converts it into a valuable product that is helpful to the environment.
Just going to the bathroom contributes to algae blooms and deadzones in our oceans. The reality is that only 7% of the world’s wastewater receives advanced wastewater treatment which means that waste water still contains polluting compounds (nitrogen and phosphorous) which results in nutrient overload and dead zones in aquatic ecosystems. The global negligence regarding human excreta management is odd, as they contain the same plant nutrients as the fertilisers used to grow the food we consume. We readily use animal manure, so why not human excreta?
Urine contains 80% of the plant nutrients found in our wastewater, while faeces contains the majority of the carbon and potential pathogens. By managing the two streams of excreta separately, we can safely return the nutrients from the urine back to the fields to produce more food. The feces are also easier to manage as the volume is much smaller and there is less risk of the collection unit overflowing and polluting the surrounding environment. Daily excretion of feces is 0.5 L per person a day, but urine is 1-3 L per person a day. Separate management and treatment is especially advantageous in dry toilets. Dry toilets are commonly used in wilderness recreational areas in Northern Europe and Canada and are the main source of sanitation for over 3.3 billion globally.
This circular approach to managing urine not only helps to protect local aquatic ecosystems, but to also build resilient communities. Each toilet is a source of valuable nutrients – the same nutrients that were used to grow the food we consume. Instead of extracting ever more (finite) nutrients from our planet, we can simply re-use our excreta. Our solution transforms toilets from a pollution source to a local fertilizer source. Our solution increases the capacity of wastewater treatment plants while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Your pee could be the golden ticket to a greener world.”
About Sanitation 360
We are a team of experts specialising in nutrient recycling with over 20 years of research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Read more ›
Contact
Phone: +46 70 096 06 68
Email: info@sanitation360.se
Address: SPG, Kaserngatan 1 , 621 57, Visby
Postal address: Hörsne Line 713, 622 58, Romakloster
🇸🇪 Sweden
@sanitation360_