2025: Redirecting Nutrients From the Lake to the Land
Human waste contains carbon and nutrients that, when safely processed, can enrich agricultural soils. This project builds on collaborative work toward bionutrient circularity in Ithaca, New York, and Kisuma, Kenya, and will take the next step: from the experimental level to the pilot scale. Using nutrients from urine and carbon in the forms of biochar and compost, researchers are developing a range of agronomic media and fertilizers that range in production costs, weight, and nutrient density. In collaboration with a network of scientists, sanitation practitioners, and community organizations, researchers seek to develop and market excreta-based fertilizers to improve livelihoods, food security, and environmental health.
Investigators: Rebecca Nelson (Cornell CALS/School of Integrative Plant Science/Global Development), Andrew Bell (Cornell CALS/Global Development), David Goldberg (Cornell Engineering/Operations Research and Information Engineering), Kurt Waldman (Cornell CALS/Global Development), Johannes Lehmann (Cornell CALS/School of Integrative Plant Science/Global Development)