New research centre devoted to nutrient value chain
ISF is part of a new hub focused on boosting the recovery of valuable nutrients from waste using innovative technologies.
There are valuable nutrients to be found in human waste, but we've yet to see a large-scale approach to using them. Why is this the case?
Overcoming market and governance barriers are two understudied opportunities. This is the aim of the recently launched Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (ARC NiCE Hub).
The hub officially launched on 17 November with a vision of creating viable markets and governance for a thriving circular nutrient value chain.
The ARC NiCE Hub will see researchers, scientists, engineers, government agencies and industry experts working together to develop, test and upscale new technologies to achieve nutrient recovery from waste.
The main focus of the hub is the recovery of nutrients from human urine, with many industry partners also working on the recovery of valuable nutrients from different types of waste material.
Upcoming Hub projects
At the launch, Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) Associate Professor Dana Cordell spoke about two projects on overcoming market and governance barriers.
ISF’s first ARC NiCE Hub project will attempt to understand and overcome key barriers to forming a circular market that supports a viable circular nutrient value chain.
This will first identify potential raw material supply chains (from urine and other organic wastes), followed by industry and end-user engagement across the value chain to investigate stakeholder bottlenecks, such as securing reliable raw material volumes and establishing a sustainable marketplace for commercial products like renewable fertilisers.
The second project will identify and learn:
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how international leading governance structures for nutrient and non-nutrient circular economies may be adapted to the Australian context
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to understand barriers that currently limit how stakeholders can integrate well in nutrient circular economics
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perceptions of stakeholders in the circular nutrient value chain enable or impede the effective governance of nutrient circular economics.
Circular future loo-ks bright
A main feature of the NiCE Hub launch event was a demonstration of 'Urval', a urine-derived, membrane-filtered fertiliser product. The display included coriander and basil plants that had been grown using conventional fertilisers and those that have thrived on Urval.
A cute touch was a complimentary bottle of Urval and a succulent in a special toilet pot for every guest at the launch to take home.
