Florists say: Human urine is an extremely good fertilizer for plants

Scientists say human urine can be recycled into extremely good fertilizer for plants at a very cheap cost .

According to statistics, each year farmers spend 128,000 USD buying fertilizer for crops. Now, scientists say they could save a fortune if they knew how to use urine as fertilizer.

Currently, farmers are using synthetic fertilizers at a cost of about 128,000 USD per year - (Photo: Guardian).

The reason is that urine contains nitrogen and phosphorus needed to maintain and promote plant growth , especially without the possibility of spreading antibiotic resistance.

"Our urine is worth its weight in gold ," researcher Divina Gracia P. Rodriguez from the Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research told Science Norway.

The average person discharges about 500 liters of urine per year, which can be converted into 6kg of fertilizer, according to scientists' calculations.

Researchers are currently developing toilets that can separate urine and have begun testing in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

Once separated, the urine is dried and converted into inexpensive, odorless pellets that can be spread across fields to fertilize crops.

This sounds "horrible" , but Ms. Anne Spurkland - professor and medical researcher at the University of Oslo, affirms that it is "completely safe".

Researchers at the University of Michigan confirmed in a 2020 study that urine can be used as fertilizer without fear of spreading antibiotic-resistant infections.

Accordingly, before being used as fertilizer, urine will be sterilized for 10 hours, then antibiotic resistance genes will be reduced by 99%.

A truck pulling treated urine tanks for farming at the Rich Earth Institute in the US - (Photo: Facebook/Rich Earth Institute).

In the US, the Rich Earth Institute is also developing ways to turn human urine into fertilizer. "In urine there is nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other trace minerals that plants need ," says Kim Nace, co-founder of the Rich Earth Institute.

There is also a simpler way that can be done at home, which is to mix 1 part urine with 9 parts water, then spray it on plants.

"Humans have been using urine as fertilizer for a very long time, but they stopped after the West invented wastewater treatment systems ," study co-author Dr. The Guardian . "We're just trying to figure out how to capture some of the valuable product before it gets mixed and diluted with everything else."

There are many benefits to fertilizing plants with urine

Since ancient times, Vietnamese farmers have known how to fertilize plants with urine, showing their creativity and deep understanding of nature.

Urine is used to fertilize many different crops, most commonly vegetables, tubers, and fruits. In addition, some industrial crops such as sugarcane, jute, and cotton are also fertilized with urine.

Fertilizing plants with urine has been shown to provide many benefits, including:

1. Provides abundant nutrients for plants, helping plants grow healthily and produce high yields.
2. Improves soil structure, enhances water holding capacity and fertility.
3. Stimulates plant root growth, enhances the ability to absorb nutrients and water.
4. Eliminate some types of pests and diseases of plants.
5. Save costs compared to using chemical fertilizers.
6. Environmental protection by limiting the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.