Liquid gold: The potential and risks of turning human urine into sustainable fertilizer

Phys · 🇩🇪 public Germany · May 26, 2026 · 533 words · By Griffith University

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What to know about Liquid gold: The potential and risks of turning human urine into sustainable fertilizer

A research review from Griffith University examines the potential of using human urine as a sustainable fertilizer to reduce reliance on synthetic alternatives. While the study highlights nutrient efficiency, it emphasizes the need for further research into health risks, such as pathogen contamination and antimicrobial resistance, before large-scale adoption.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Liquid gold: The potential and risks of turning human urine into sustainable fertilizer Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor A new research review led by Griffith University suggests using human urine as a fertilizer could significantly boost…

Why it matters

The review, led by a multi-disciplinary research team from Griffith, analyzed 35 global studies examining microbial risks associated with urine-derived fertilizers (UDF).

Common ground

With growing pressure on global food systems and fertilizer supply chains, urine recycling represents a promising—but still developing—solution for more sustainable agriculture, off-grid communities and water-scarce regions for use in spaces such as private…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Liquid gold: The potential and risks of turning human urine into sustainable fertilizer?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that storing urine could reduce many pathogens through a natural process called urea hydrolysis, which produced ammonia and helped kill pathogens?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-liquid-gold-potential-human-urine.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 100%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 1

info Single Source 1

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “storing urine could reduce many pathogens through a natural process called urea hydrolysis, which produced ammonia and helped kill pathogens.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and a specialized review paper on pathogen inactivation both confirm that urea hydrolysis produces ammonia, which helps reduce/kill pathogens during urine storage.

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web search NEUTRAL — During storage, the urea in urine is rapidly hydrolyzed by urease, creating ammonia.Given that urea in urine breaks down into ammonia, urine has been used for cleaning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine

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web search NEUTRAL — Urea hydrolysis driven by the catalysis of urease occurred. quickly in urine because many bacteria contaminated by feces or. TABLE 1 (Continued) A summary on the reduction of pathogens in storage of u…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366064951_Pathogens…

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web search NEUTRAL — The production of VFA during urine hydrolysis is presented in Figure 7. The total amount of VFA gradually increased until day 7 reflecting intense microbial activity during urine hydrolysis process.
https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/server/api/core/bitstreams/eaa3eace-3c…

info

Claim 2: “The results are published in Water Reuse.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the research exists, the provided evidence for claim 2 does not explicitly confirm the journal 'Water Reuse' as the publication venue for this specific Griffith study; the search results mention other journals (Frontiers, Journal of Water Process Engineering) or general journals. However, claim 8 mentions it, but claim 8 itself is unverified.

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web search NEUTRAL — This review synthesizes global research on human urine-based fertilization as a sustainable alternative to synthetic inputs using a systematic approach guided by PRISMA 2020 standards.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/soil-science/articles/1…

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web search NEUTRAL — Including their research outputs, funded research, professional activities and teaching & supervision.2025Journal of Water Process Engineering78:108774Elsevier. Co-authors: Ajaz S, Radke M, Hassan AA.
https://experts.griffith.edu.au/18672-frederic-leusch/public…

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web search NEUTRAL — All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review...
https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rllj20

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Claim 3: “The urine-based fertilizer derived from this project, Aurin, received official approval in Switzerland”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Phys.org, a research paper on pharmaceutical removal, and a report from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) confirm that Aurin received official approval in Switzerland.

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web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago · The urine-based fertilizer derived from this project, Aurin, received official approval in Switzerland; however, the project encountered ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-liquid-gold-potential-human-ur…

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web search NEUTRAL — Also, the first commercial urine fertilizer in Switzerland, Aurin, was licensed by FOAG (Vuna GmbH 2020) with the obligation of complete removal of ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092134492…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 4, 2022 · ... approved in Switzerland for use on edible plants — a world first. ... the urine fertilizer on their farms. In these harsh lands of sub ...
https://www.facebook.com/down2earthindia/posts/prithvi-simha…

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Claim 4: “Such technologies have been piloted in Australia and several countries, including Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand.”

CORROBORATED

Phys.org and other web results confirm that these technologies have been piloted in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago ... Such technologies have been piloted in Australia and several countries, including Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand. For example, VUNA ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-liquid-gold-potential-human-ur…

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago ... The urine-based fertiliser derived from this project, Aurin, received official approval in Switzerland, however, the project encountered ...
https://news.griffith.edu.au/2026/06/01/liquid-gold-research…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 15, 2024 ... - The idea of NoMix technology and urine-based fertilisers received high user acceptance levels (∼80 %) across seven Northern and Central ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004313542…

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Claim 5: “urine was a highly efficient source of nutrients—containing up to 80% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus in wastewater”

CORROBORATED

The specific statistics (80% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus) are corroborated by the 'Driving the Green' source and are widely accepted in wastewater literature.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Humans (Homo sapiens, meaning 'thinking man' or 'wise man') are the most abundant and widespread species of primates, characterized by bipedality, hairlessness, and large, complex brains enabling the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Human Be-In was an event held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park Polo Fields on January 14, 1967. It was a prelude to San Francisco's Summer of Love, which made the Haight-Ashbury district a symb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Be-In

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considere…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “VUNA (Valorization of Urine Nutrients in Africa) was an implementation project aimed at developing an improved sanitation system enabling complete nutrient recovery from urine.”

VERIFIED

Web results confirm the existence of VUNA and its goal of nutrient recovery from urine, specifically in the context of the Aurin fertilizer project.

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web search NEUTRAL — This research work focuses on evaluating the feasibility of using urine and greywater streams as nutrient solution in a theoretical model of Building- ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221067072…

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web search NEUTRAL — Nutrient recovery from urine can simplify the recycling of nutrients from the human metabolism to agriculture. In the case of phosphorus, food security as well ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8517923/

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 3, 2024 · This paper reviews the developments in source separation and valorization of urine, its benefits, methods for treatment, and challenges for implementation.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41745-024-00438-4

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Claim 7: “The review, led by a multi-disciplinary research team from Griffith, analyzed 35 global studies examining microbial risks associated with urine-derived fertilizers (UDF).”

CORROBORATED

The detail regarding a multi-disciplinary team from Griffith analyzing 35 global studies on microbial risks is explicitly mentioned in both Phys.org and EurekAlert!.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeremy Griffith (born 1945) is an Australian biologist and author. He first came to public attention for his attempts to find the Tasmanian tiger. He later became noted for his writings on the human c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Griffith

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Darrell Steven Griffith (born June 16, 1958), also known by his nickname Dr. Dunkenstein, is an American former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Utah Jazz of the Nat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Griffith

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, ranging from the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, to the San Fernando Valley. The park inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Park

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “A new research review led by Griffith University suggests using human urine as a fertilizer could significantly boost sustainable agriculture”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (EurekAlert!, Phys.org, and Griffith University's LinkedIn) confirm that a research review led by Griffith University suggests human urine as a fertilizer can boost sustainable agriculture.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. The universit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_University

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Conservatorium_Grif…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 9: “Johanna Margaretha Engels et al, The potential health risks of stored urine used as fertilizer – what evidence do we have?, Water Reuse (2026). DOI: 10.2166/wrd.2026.129”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific title, author, date (2026), or DOI of this paper.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.