A 10-day treatment using agricultural microbes and molasses could produce a diluted fertilizer blend for farm use.
Researchers fermented human urine with Agricultural Jiaosu, a mixture of agricultural microbes, and molasses. Free ammonia dropped sharply, and pathogen levels were significantly inhibited from the fifth day of fermentation onward.
The researchers found that a mixture containing 3% molasses fermented for 10 days performed well in their tests. They propose that the resulting liquid could be used as a diluted fertilizer, and that the process could also help treat kitchen waste alongside separated urine.
Evidence and caveats
This was an experimental study of urine fermentation, including a large-scale experiment. The abstract does not report the number of samples, the full experimental design, or how the treatment compared with untreated controls. It also does not provide results from field trials, crop-growth tests, soil tests, or direct assessments of fertilizer safety. The recommended dilution and any agricultural use would therefore need to be evaluated under the relevant conditions before broader application.
// Source
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation · 2026 · DOI: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2026.106462
Authors: Jing Yang, Laiyong You, Wei Wang, xinda lin, Jun Li
Institutions: Huzhou Normal University, Zhejiang University of Technology
