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CC BY 4.0 · Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2024; 01: a23346930
DOI: 10.1055/a-2334-6930
Original Article

Urine as a Biobased Fertilizer: The Netherlands as Case Study

S. Beijer
1   Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, PO box 94157, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
S. Das
2   Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3   Pinpoint Laboratories, 40 Te Puke Quarry Rd, Te Puke 3183, New Zealand
,
R. Helmus
2   Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
P. Scheer
4   SEMiLLA Sanitation, Innovatieweg 4, 7007 CD Doetinchem, The Netherlands
,
B. Jansen
2   Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
J. C. Slootweg 
1   Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, PO box 94157, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
› Author AffiliationsSupported by: EU 818309
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Abstract

Humankind has grown increasingly dependent on mineral fertilizer to feed a growing world population. However, nutrients are rarely recovered and recycled after consumption, leading to environmental waste issues now and potential supply issues in the future. Urine is rich in these nutrients and is therefore a prime candidate as a precursor for biobased fertilizers. This work presents a case study to remove potentially present contaminants from human urine using activated carbon adsorbents to adhere to Dutch fertilizer legislation. In the urine, three pharmaceuticals were identified by target analysis and 11 other contaminants by suspect screening using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS). These were successfully removed by treatments with both granulated and powdered activated carbon, albeit with a loss of 16–17% and 2–4% of dissolved nutrients, respectively. Further screening of inorganic contaminants and persistent organic pollutants by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (GC-Q-Orbitrap/MS) showed that all prerequisites for fertilizer status are met, paving the way for its future legal use as a biobased fertilizer in the Netherlands.

Keywords

Nutrient recycling - Biobased fertilizer - Activated carbon adsorbent - Pharmaceutical removal - Fertilizer legislative framework - Target analysis - Suspect screening

Supporting Information

Primary Data



Publication History

Received: 22 April 2024

Accepted after revision: 24 May 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
28 May 2024

Article published online:
01 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Bibliographical Record
S. Beijer, S. Das, R. Helmus, P. Scheer, B. Jansen, J. C. Slootweg. Urine as a Biobased Fertilizer: The Netherlands as Case Study. Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2024; 01: a23346930.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2334-6930
 

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