Concentrating human urine by evaporation
type: CreativeWork
description: The current size of the global population was estimated to be 7.7 billion people in 2019. This is expected to increase to 9.7 billion people by the year 2030. To supply sufficient food for this growing population, the use of synthetic fertilizers has become a widely adopted agricultural practice. These fertilizers, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) nutrients, ensure rapid and adequate food supply. However, the use of synthetic fertilizers is not sustainable. This is due to nitrogen (N) being derived from synthetic ammonia (NH3) produced via the energy intensive Haber-Bosch process. The phosphorus (P) in synthetic fertilizer is also mined from non-renewable phosphate rock. Similarly, a large population size leads to the inevitable generation of waste effluents collectively known as wastewater. Currently, wastewater is transported to and treated in traditional wastewater treatment facilities to ensure that nutrients in the wastewater are removed. This ensures that when the treatment plant effluent is released back into bodies of natural water, these bodies of water are not polluted. However, the cost associated with the treatment of wastewater and the maintenance of such facilities is high. As a result, less affluent countries have not been able to adequately maintain wastewater treatment facilities. One component of the wastewater that is treated in such facilities includes black water. This contains urine, faeces and other excreta that are flushed down the toilet. Although human urine contributes approximately 1% by volume, to the total wastewater generated, this urine contains approximately 80%, 56% and 63% of the total N, P and K found in domestic wastewater, respectively. In addition, traditionally black water is flushed down a toilet and enters the wastewater system, but a large portion of the global population do not have access to flushing toilets and clean drinking water. Furthermore, traditional flushing toilets use significant amounts of clea…
abstract: The current size of the global population was estimated to be 7.7 billion people in 2019. This is expected to increase to 9.7 billion people by the year 2030. To supply sufficient food for this growing population, the use of synthetic fertilizers has become a widely adopted agricultural practice. These fertilizers, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) nutrients, ensure rapid and adequate food supply. However, the use of synthetic fertilizers is not sustainable. This is due to nitrogen (N) being derived from synthetic ammonia (NH3) produced via the energy intensive Haber-Bosch process. The phosphorus (P) in synthetic fertilizer is also mined from non-renewable phosphate rock. Similarly, a large population size leads to the inevitable generation of waste effluents collectively known as wastewater. Currently, wastewater is transported to and treated in traditional wastewater treatment facilities to ensure that nutrients in the wastewater are removed. This ensures that when the treatment plant effluent is released back into bodies of natural water, these bodies of water are not polluted. However, the cost associated with the treatment of wastewater and the maintenance of such facilities is high. As a result, less affluent countries have not been able to adequately maintain wastewater treatment facilities. One component of the wastewater that is treated in such facilities includes black water. This contains urine, faeces and other excreta that are flushed down the toilet. Although human urine contributes approximately 1% by volume, to the total wastewater generated, this urine contains approximately 80%, 56% and 63% of the total N, P and K found in domestic wastewater, respectively. In addition, traditionally black water is flushed down a toilet and enters the wastewater system, but a large portion of the global population do not have access to flushing toilets and clean drinking water. Furthermore, traditional flushing toilets use significant amounts of clea…
author: Hislop, Amy
keywords: Civil Engineering
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:00Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Civil Engineering

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35671