Fate of pharmaceutical and biological contaminants through the preparation and application of urine derived fertilizers

Source separation of urine provides benefits over traditional wastewater nutrient management including providing urine-derived fertilizer. Environmental and human health implications must first be evaluated before urine-derived fertilizer can be implemented widely. The urine used for this study was well characterized with nutrient, biological, and pharmaceutical analyses, and results indicate similar composition to other urine-derived fertilizers. Certain pharmaceuticals persist through application and can be detected at low concentrations in lysimeter water and plant tissue. As determined by nucleic acid staining, more than 108 cells/mL remain in urine that was stored for more than three months; however, BacLight viability staining suggests that more than 50% of bacteria in two-month-old urine have damaged membranes.