Aquafin Fosfaatwinning

Urine from visitors to Rock Werchter as source of phosphorus

Phosphorus is a chemical element that is vital in the food-chain and is also used to make artificial fertilisers. Worldwide, however, our natural phosphorus resources are being depleted. That is why we will need to think about recycling in the future.

Human urine is rich in phosphates, and is therefore a potential source for extracting the chemical. But where do you find large quantities of urine that are not diluted by sewage water? The answer? At festivals. In a trial project, water purifier Aquafin used the content of the toilets from rock Werchter, and then extracted the phosphorus from the urine using a chemical process. Aquafin’s phosphorus cannot yet compete with ordinary fertiliser, but the technique looks very promising.