'Pee-power' to light camps in disaster zones

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. You might consider using it as fertilizer

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140202-peecycling-urine-human-waste-compost-fertilizer/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Is "Peecycling" the Next Wave in Sustainable Living?[/font]

[font size=4]Human waste can be converted into valuable fertilizer, if people can get past the "ick" factor.[/font]

By Samantha Larson, for National Geographic
PUBLISHED February 02, 2014


Seth True of Best Septic Service pumps urine from a 275-gallon tank for transfer to the farm. A family of three can produce this much urine in eight months.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ABE NOE-HAYS, RICH EARTH INSTITUTE

[font size=3]The Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, aims to shift how we think about our own waste. They want to "close the nutrient cycle" by using our urine to grow what we next consume.

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Most conventional farms invest in synthetic fertilizer, which requires energy to produce and is associated with many environmental problems of its own. But by separating out human urine before it gets to the wastewater plant, Rich Earth cofounder Kim Nace says they can turn it into a robust fertilizer alternative: a "local, accessible, free, sanitary source of nitrogen and phosphorous."

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"We're all afraid of our own waste," Chris Peot, manager of resource recovery at DC Water, explains. But he thinks that response can be worked around—the necessary paradigm shift is already underway. "This is sort of our new mantra: There's no such thing as waste, only waste of resources," Peot says.

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In fact, "peecyling" is a mainstream notion elsewhere in the world. Urine diversion for fertilizer can be documented back to 1867, and the U.S. is just starting to catch on to the trend that has become increasingly popular in countries such as Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands over the last decade or so.

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Hay growing in test strips illustrates the fertilizing power of urine. The green strip in the center received urine fertilizer while the lighter adjacent strips did not.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ABE NOE-HAYS, RICH EARTH INSTITUTE

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I don’t see why, after using the urine to generate electricity, it would not remain just as valuable as fertilizer.