What the...! Researchers claim human urine is ultimate 'organic' fertiliser

Bengaluru Convinced about its medicinal values Indian scientists had taken a patent on cow urine in 2002 Now researchers at the International Centre for Ecological Engineering of Kalyani University near Kolkata report that human urine can be used as safe fertiliser after eight months of storage under closed conditionsUrine contains the essential plant nutrients nitrogen phosphorus and potassium besides some growthpromoting agents like amino acids glucose and vitamins says the report by Bara Bihari Jana and his colleagues published in the Indian Journal of Experimental BiologyRepresentational PicOn an average each person excretes almost six kilos of pure plant nutrients via urine says the report The amount of human urine generated daily in a highlypopulated country like India can be an important resource if it is managed properly as liquid fertiliserJanas team had been working for over a decade on the project to test human urine as a replacement for chemical fertiliser Earlier we have examined the fertiliser value of human urine for the production of fish food he told IANSIn recent years human urine as liquid fertiliser is getting attention in Europe and in some Scandinavian countries in view of the promotion of organic farming says the reportThe possible presence of diseasecausing pathogens in urine had raised some questions Though storage has been advocated by others for inactivation of bacteria in urine there has been no study so far to examine this aspect under tropical conditionsJana says his latest study aimed at examining the pattern of changes in the counts of coliform bacteria as well as physicochemical characteristics of human urine during different days of storage under closed conditions in order to identify the optimal storage period of human urine for use as safe fertiliser The urine for the study was collected from students in the universityAccording to the report the study found that human urine during the storage period undergoes microbiological and associated chemical changes and becomes highly alkaline resulting in death of pathogenic bacteriaWe observed that after 253 days of storage under closed condition the coliform counts were reduced significantly and remained within the safe limit the report saidAccording to the author human urine is cheaper and more environmentfriendly because hazardous chemical compounds or heavy metals such as cadmium are generally absent or low in human urine compared to commercially available fertiliserAn added advantage is that its use would reduce eutrophication the process where fertiliser washed off the land cause damaging blooms of plankton in rivers and lakesWith the results of the present study it may be concluded that human urine can be used as lowrisk fertiliser after its storage for 253 days under prescribed conditions the report said Further research and extension activities of this work is necessary Jana added This can be done through NGOs selfhelp groups etcBut is the scheme workableJana believes so Human urine may be collected daily in community toilets at airports railway stations market places schools colleges etc and stored in containers labelled with the date of collection he saysThe governments current campaign against open defecation and its plans to provide toilets in each village provides the opportunity to implement the concept by making provision in the toilets for collection of urine and faeces in separate chambersWould it be practical to truck large volumes of urine around for use in agricultural fields across the country The answer is yes according to the reportAbout 80 per cent of the nutrients contained in human urine can be concentrated in 25 per cent of the original volume by freezing the urine which would facilitate transport and storage