Study finds ecological sanitation fertilizers match conventional efficacy

An international study published in ‘Frontiers in Environmental Science’ indicates that recycled fertilizers derived from ecological sanitation systems (ROSS) can match the positive effects of conventional mineral fertilizers.

The research, which involved the University of Girona (UdG), compiled international data on various recycled products at a product scale. The findings suggest that the quality, safety, and efficacy of these fertilizers depend primarily on the raw materials used, the treatment processes, and application conditions.

As agriculture faces increasing challenges regarding the availability, extraction costs, and international market dependence of nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, ROSS systems offer a sustainable alternative. These systems recover nutrients from human excreta, collected separately to minimize water dilution, and return them to the agricultural system following appropriate treatment. The study analyzed thirteen types of recycled fertilizers, concluding they are agronomically comparable to mineral, organic, or organomineral fertilizers.