When they experimented with it in Africa, they said the urine should be kept at 71f-75f for 3 months to get rid of pathogens.
And people flushing pee down the toilet does have an impact on the environment, along with other fertilizers. Theres a dead spot in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi dumps into the Gulf, bigger than many states, and its caused by fertilizer.
Fertilizer made from human urine developed in Nigeria
WebJul 1, 2022 · To determine if
using urine as a
fertilizer was worth implementing on a wide scale, researchers from the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Niger conducted farm trials
using a sanitized
urine product.
Also for small plot farming, it is said it may be best to dilute the urine 10:1. But the main thing on that vs nondiluted, is not get it on the plant, because you can burn the plant up.
First, the women named the fertilizing product Oga, which translates to 'the boss' in the Igbo language. This was to help smooth over the social, religious and cultural barriers to open discussions on the use of human urine.
What's more, compared to our poop, pee is relatively sterile when it leaves our bodies thanks to the ammonia in it. Just passively storing canisters in temperatures between 22 to 24 °C (71 to 75 °F) for 2 to 3 months is
enough to destroy remaining pathogens that can withstand long periods within the acidic liquid. Its been theorized that urine should sit in containers at 71f-75f for at least 2 weeks. So there is variability, but all the experiments professionally done, say the urine needs to sit at least 2 weeks. 2-3 months is preferable.
And anyone on any type of medicine, or suspected UTI, or other urinary tract problems, should stick to the toilet. And you dont want people drinking alcohol for collecting urine samples.
So the women were trained in this sanitization process and how to dilute the resulting Oga for use. For the first few years they applied the Oga in combination with organic manure, and when that was successful they were game enough to try Oga alone.
Across three years (2014 to 2016) and 681 trials, those who used Oga experienced an average 30 percent increase in pearl millet yield. The difference was so clear that many other women in the area started using Oga.
Tis is from a Ugandan study.
Urine as fertilizer – applying it safely
Safety is, of course, of the utmost concern in fertilizing with human urine, just as it is with animal manure application to
improve soil.
While urine is considered safe, there are rare occurrences of bacterial infection that can contribute to bacterial problems around your plants. The solution is simple. If it’s possible that the donor could have a
bladder or urinary tract infection, do not take their samples for your garden, field, or orchard.
The same goes for anyone who is
taking medication which can be excreted in urine. They should stick to using the
toilet.
Along the same lines, the question of
how fresh should the urine be is also of utmost importance. In this study human urine was collected and stored in covered containers in the donors’ homes for two weeks in order to protect against pathogens. There is a wide range of opinions on how fresh the urine should be but allowing the urine to sit for at least a couple of weeks seems the safest of all of the approaches.
The Ugandan study used the following method: “The urine was applied close to the ground in furrows along the plant rows, which were immediately covered with soil. Besides preventing ammonia losses, this practice helps to reduce the smell and avoid burning crop leaves.” (
Kirchmann and Pettersson, 1995)
Aging urine
Nepal is one of the countries with a long history of using urine to improve soil nutrients for farming. According to
Nepal’s Central Horticulture Center, urine should be stored in an airtight container for at least two weeks to a month and mixed with compost before use. Similarly, in a
2020 study published by the University of Michigan, the research found that aging human urine in sealed containers over several months can further decrease the risks of using pee as fertilizer. This university study tested urine stored for 12-16 months and found that ammonia levels increased over time and killed most bacteria found in fresh urine.