Marking a breakthrough for circular nutrient recovery and offering new opportunities for collaboration across Europe.
The results come from independent research led by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), UK Agri-Tech Centre, and NPK Recovery, supported by Innovate UK, Co-op Carbon Innovation Fund and UKRI. The UK start-up, based in Bristol, is turning an overlooked waste stream into a sustainable agricultural resource – extracting nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from urine collected at major public events, including the London Marathon and Bristol Pride. NPK Recovery recently deployed its mobile urine-to-fertiliser system at the Boomtown Festival, capturing and processing urine at scale to demonstrate the practicality of event-based nutrient recovery.
By capturing and reusing the nutrients in urine, NPK Recovery not only reduces the number of tanker trips to sewage treatment plants but also provides a domestically produced, low-impact fertiliser that can help lessen agriculture’s dependence on imported, energy-intensive synthetics.
“Our fertiliser is produced by converting naturally occurring nutrients in urine into a safe, liquid product that farmers can use to reduce their dependence on synthetic fertilisers,” explained Hannah Van Den Bergh, founder of NPK Recovery. “Now research has confirmed that it performs just as well as mainstream alternatives, but without the high emissions or global transport footprint.”
In trials led by Professor Nicola Cannon, Professor of Agriculture at RAU, NPK’s fertiliser was found to match the performance of ammonium nitrate, one of the most commonly used commercial fertilisers, in wheat growth tests. The bio-fertiliser left no toxic residues and showed comparable emissions profiles, with Professor Cannon noting that it “sets crops up for a strong growth foundation” and led to more leaves and shoots compared to control plots.
Complementary research by the University of the West of England (UWE) on mustard plants also revealed higher levels of chlorophyll, a key indicator of plant vitality, when NPK’s fertiliser was applied.
These findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting bio-based nutrient recycling as a realistic pathway toward greener, circular farming systems. “Current synthetic fertilisers are energy intensive to create,” added Van Den Bergh. “Meanwhile, we flush away urine that contains the very nutrients that could be replenishing our fields. NPK Recovery solves both problems.”
As the trials expand, NPK Recovery is actively seeking new partners across Europe to explore applications in different soil types, crop systems and climatic conditions, as well as to study the regulatory and logistical challenges of scaling urine-derived fertilisers safely across borders.
The company is also exploring European funding opportunities and welcomes collaboration with research partners working on nutrient recovery, circular bioeconomy systems, and bio-based resources.
“We’re hugely excited about the coming months as we gather more data from independent trials and continue producing fertiliser from event-based nutrient recovery,” said Van Den Bergh. “We welcome interest from farmers, researchers and regional authorities who want to join us in testing how human waste can close nutrient loops and help build a truly circular bioeconomy.”
For more information or collaboration opportunities contact hannah@npkrecovery.com and lucy@npkrecovery.com
