health
‘This is not a hippy thing’: the startup recycling urine to make natural fertiliser
As recent conflicts expose vulnerability of fertiliser markets and its effect on food security, VunaNexus offers an alternative
TL;DR
- VunaNexus recycles nutrients from human urine to create a certified mineral fertilizer called Aurin.
- The process involves collecting urine, removing micropollutants, concentrating nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, and pasteurizing the liquid to kill pathogens.
- Aurin is approved for use on all plants by Swiss and French authorities and is sold to farmers and gardeners.
- The war in Ukraine and resulting fertilizer price surges have increased interest in VunaNexus's alternative.
- The technology is installed in buildings across Europe, with a significant project underway in Paris.
- The company originated from a project in South Africa focused on developing affordable sanitation and urine-based fertilizer.
- Economic viability remains a challenge, with production costs higher than synthetic fertilizers, but VunaNexus aims to scale up and be recognized for wastewater treatment services.
- Ongoing projects in Durban, South Africa, aim to establish urine collection systems and rehabilitate treatment plants to produce fertilizer.
- The ultimate goal is to make Aurin affordable enough to be produced in other parts of the world, including Durban.