WASH – Innovative Solution – Urine Transformation and Reuse
Innovative solutions : WASH >> Ecological Sanitation >> Reuse of Urine in Agriculture, domestic
electricity or for small manufactures
Actually several WASH projects implemented by CARE WASH are promoting ecological sanitation,
ECOSAN technologies and the use of Eco-Toilets. (Like PEAFEC project of CARE CO Niger: Water,
Sanitation & Ecological Fertilization project in the low valley of Tarka/Niger ).
Eco-toilets help produce compost for agriculture for improving soil fertility and reducing the use of
chemical fertilizers, and the collected urine can be used directly as fertilizer as a substitute of urea
fertilizer.
But today we know that urine valorized (processed or not) in addition to its fertilizing power and its
many possible applications in agriculture can be used as fuel! Indeed it is possible to develop (adapt)
electric generators operating with urine. After the liquid fertilizer developed by ECOSAN is another
possible use of urine. Well used once transformed this new property of urine could be a fuel of the
future for development projects (to scale!)
The yellow energy urine as fuel: an electric generator which fueling with hydrogen from the simple
urine electrolyze or ammonium transformed into ammonia feed a special fuel cell >> two new
ways to produce energy from urine!
This first method of converting urine into fuel by electrolysis (the simplest) was developed in Nigeria
and four schoolgirls who at the same time "invented" a generator running in urine!
The process is simple: urine is placed in an electrolytic cell separating urea by electrolysis into
nitrogen, water and hydrogen. Hydrogen is collected, filtered and captured in a gas bottle before
being sent to the generator.
One liter of urine can produce 6 hours of electricity. A commercial application of this process will
involve a relatively elaborate security system. However, the fuel is free, abundant and renewable!
In the second transformation process, however more complicated, Ammonium mainly present in the
urine is turned into ammonia to feeding a special fuel cell.
The main component of urine is, of course, the water, but it contains the main waste is urea.
The urea or carbamide (INN) is an organic chemical compound of the formula CO (NH2) 2. It is also
the name of the family of urea derivatives of general formula (R1, R2) N-CO-N (R3, R4).
The components of interest for the valorization of urine and its use as a fertilizer and/or fuel are
nitrogen and hydrogen.
Urine as Fertilizer
The most important current use is in the form of nitrogen fertilizers. Urea is hydrolyzed into
ammonia and carbon dioxide in the ground: CO (NH2) 2 + 2 NH3 + H2O → CO2
Urea, which contains 46% nitrogen, and can be directly diluted with water for watering, but it has a
highly hygroscopic and needs to be packaged in granules or beads to be used as spreading fertilizer
(soil amendment).
CARE HERU - WASH Senior Advisor – Patrick. Reymond @care.org.au
WASH – Innovative Solution – Urine Transformation and Reuse
Urine as Fuel
This process would produce hydrogen from urine, which also produce hydrogen in a sustainable way
(and nitrogen and ammonia separately by electrolysis) to get rid of one of the most abundant waste
the planet and thus preserve freshwater resources.
Urine Valorisation and VCD (Value Chain Development)
The advantage of the value of the urine by its transformation into a powerful fertilizer (by simply
adding water and fermentation) and its conversion into usable fuel in conventional generators
(simply by electrolysis) is to provide greater autonomy (independence) to remote rural areas, or poor
people, enabling them to produce products based on location, lower costs and contribute directly
improve the generating sources of income and livelihood in general.
It is easy to visualize the value chain which can be built around organic base product free in its
production, its lowest cost in its processing and all the profit centers that will be created along the
chain (income generating activities) and the multi stakeholders process involved.
A value chain Is the set of procedures to determine the ability of an organisation to gain a
competitive advantage.These steps correspond to the company's services or to arbitrarily complex
nested activities that constitute the organization.
The Value chain shows the importance of coordination in an organization because each link of adds
value to optimize.
VCD (Value Chain Development) is the development of a set of interrelated activities which
continued to create the identifiable value and, if possible, measurable. It therefore includes all stages
of the supply of raw materials to final consumption.
See Urine VCD below
CARE HERU - WASH Senior Advisor – Patrick. Reymond @care.org.au
WASH – Innovative Solution – Urine Transformation and Reuse
Urine Transformation Value Chain Development (VCD) and Multi-Stakeholders process (MSP)
Production
Better
Livelihood &
Revenue
Increased Productivity
Efficient & profitable
Production & Processing
Reduced imports of fuel &
fertilizers, savings
Transformed
product
exploitation
Electrolyse >>
Hydrogen fuel
(H2) Production
Conditioning >>
Ferlizers
Production
Urine
Transformation
Ecological
Sanitation
Profit
CARE HERU - WASH Senior Advisor – Patrick. Reymond @care.org.au
WASH – Innovative Solution – Urine Transformation and Reuse
Results of the implementation of the VCD and MSP
Processors and farmers / householders / manufacturers final products benefiting from different
transformations of the base product (urine) are the same stakeholders within process! This should
facilitate the adoption of the concept of reuse of urine while awareness and social marketing are well
planned (according to a participatory approach MSP) and involve all stakeholders.
VCD – Outputs, Outcomes and Impacts
Outputs
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Better communication and information sharing
Increased trust among actors / stakeholders
Better joint analysis and priority setting
Joint action on specific issues
Increased interactions with external actors such as government and donors
Outcomes
VCD - Core capabilities 5Cs logic to describe and group outcomes
1. Capability to act and self-organize (improved confidence, engagement and mutual
understanding of VCD actors resulting in initiatives and partnerships)
2. Capability to cohere and integrate different dimensions (ability to think beyond specific
actors interests and see overall perspectives)
3. Capability to relate and create operating space (increased effectiveness of engagement with
all institutions to influence policy development, enabling environment to improve financing
options)
4. Capability to learn and adapt (joint understanding and better resilience capacity – lessons
learned and best practices)
5. Capability to produce relevant development results (ability to organize and improve
primary process in the VCD)
It is on these 5 Core Capabilities that plans for capacity building should focus!
Impacts
 Increased productivity, incomes and employment of all stakeholders along the value chain
 More efficient and profitable production and processing
 Reduced imports of fuel, fertilizers, etc., savings
Reference: International Development studies – (Earthscan / SNV – 2010)
CARE HERU - WASH Senior Advisor – Patrick. Reymond @care.org.au