Work

Resource recovery and circular economy: Advancing urine-derived nutrient and energy production

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Sustainable management of human urine is a pressing global environmental concern, and needed for the improvement of sanitation, protection of ecosystems, and recycling of resources. In recent years, source-separation for human urine has emerged as an effective approach to recover various resources in wastewater treatment philosophy. Despite extensive research conducted over recent decades, the safety of urine-derived products remains unguaranteed due to the complexity of urine. Furthermore, large-scale application would entail high energy consumption and operational costs, limiting the practical implementation of these technologies. To date, most studies have focused on bench-scale investigations exploring various treatment technologies for urine and optimizing the resulting recoveries of different resources. There are only a few pilot-scale reports in this regard. The present paper comprehensively reviews the research progress on simultaneously extracting nutrients and energy from source-separated urine . A comprehensive evaluation of the economic, environmental and social benefits as well as potential risks associated with source-separation and resource recovery processes of urine is presented. Finally, a number of challenges and various prospects for source-separation and resource recovery from urine are discussed. The study aims to provide an update on progress in research into the recovery of resources from urine and its sustainable management. This could help to reduce waste and encourage sustainable practices.

Source: Sustainable Horizons

DOI: 10.1016/j.horiz.2026.100185