Early research confirms that bio-fertiliser made from human urine performs as well as synthetic alternatives
18 July 2025
Early research confirms that bio-fertiliser made from human urine performs as well as synthetic alternatives
Bio-fertiliser made from human urine helps crops grow just as well as widely used synthetic alternatives, according to new studies by agricultural scientists.
The independent research, carried out by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) and UK AgriTech Centre, is a major milestone for Bristol-based startup NPK Recovery which extracts nutrients from urine collected at public events such as the London Marathon and Bristol Pride.
Recycling event-goers urine into fertiliser on-site means fewer lorry trips to sewage treatment plants, less pressure on the overburdened sewage system and a chance to give back to British farming with a sustainable fertiliser.
Professor Nicola Cannon, Professor of Agriculture at the RAU who oversaw the trials, said: “We have seen that use of the bio-fertiliser gives crops a strong growth foundation and leads to more leaves and shoots growing than in the control group.
“NPK Recovery’s product offers a nutrient alternative to ammonium nitrate and is an exciting opportunity to reduce the emissions of crop production.”
Meanwhile, early results from a study by the UK AgriTech Centre found the bio-fertiliser “behaves like an ammonium nitrate fertiliser” on wheat, according to Dr Alex McCormack.
He added that, while full results would not be available until September, ‘‘the product is comparable to synthetic in most ways at the moment, there’s no obvious differences or impact at this stage”.
The bio-fertiliser is produced by converting naturally occurring nutrients in urine into a safe liquid product that can be sprayed on crops.
In the RAU trials, the bio-fertiliser was found to match the performance of the commonly-used fertiliser ammonium nitrate - which is energy-intensive to produce and are often imported thousands of miles - on growing wheat. Also, the bio-fertiliser left no toxic elements in soil and emissions were equivalent to the low levels seen in ammonium nitrate.
Hannah Van Den Bergh, founder of NPK Recovery, said: “It’s fantastic that these trials have confirmed what we suspected: that our bio-fertiliser is just as effective as alternatives. Current synthetic fertilisers are energy intensive to create. Meanwhile, we flush urine away that contains nutrients that could be replenishing our fields. NPK Recovery solves both problems.
“We are hugely excited about the coming months which will see more results from independent trials and fertiliser being made at events across the UK. We are actively looking to hear from farmers and growers who would like to trial our fertiliser, so please do get in touch.”