Urinebased

Urinebased, or urine-based, is an adjective describing products, processes, or research that rely on urine as a source or component. The term is used across scientific, medical, agricultural, and environmental contexts where urine plays a central role.

In medical and bioscience contexts, urine-based approaches include analyses of urine to detect biomarkers for disease, kidney function, or metabolic conditions. Urine is widely used in non-invasive diagnostics, including pregnancy testing and drug monitoring, and is a focus of metabolomics and proteomics research aimed at identifying diagnostic signatures.

In agriculture and nutrient management, urine is valued for its high content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Urine can be collected separately and treated to form safe, reusable fertilizers, reducing nutrient loads on municipal wastewater. Technologies include struvite precipitation and processes to recover nitrogen, often involving handling of urea or nitrification steps, as well as urine-diverting toilets to enable source-separated collection.

Collection, handling, and safety considerations are important for urine-based applications. While urine from healthy individuals generally has low pathogen risk, contamination can occur, and appropriate sanitation and treatment are required for environmental or agricultural use. Guidelines emphasize hygiene, proper storage, and treatment to reduce pathogens before reuse.

History and broader context: The use of urine as a fertilizer predates modern chemical fertilizers and has played a role in various agricultural systems. In recent decades, interest in nutrient recovery from urine has grown as part of sustainable sanitation and circular economy initiatives.