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201137 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.201137 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ All Rights Reserved 2025 51 pages Masters Thesis Academic theses en Tripathi, Vedika Haresh Boyer, Treavor H Ravikumar, Dwarak Segura, Sergio G Arizona State University Partial requirement for: M.S., Arizona State University, 2025 Field of study: Environmental and Resource Management The increasing global demand for food and water necessitates innovative and sustainable agricultural practices. Conventional fertilizers, which rely on energy-intensive processes such as mining for phosphate rock, using the Haber-Bosch method, and mining potassium bearing minerals, contribute significantly to environmental degradation. This study explored the potential of urine-derived fertilizer as a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizer by extracting phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium from human urine through phosphate precipitation, ammonia stripping, and evaporation, respectively. Using an anticipatory life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the environmental impacts of urine-derived fertilizer were compared to conventional fertilizer in the context of lettuce production in Arizona. The analysis utilized Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and Other Environmental Impacts 2.1 (TRACI 2.1) and ReCiPe 2016 impact assessment methods to evaluate eleven different environmental indicators. Results demonstrated that urine-derived fertilizer substantially reduces environmental impacts across all eleven categories. Additionally, water savings were observed using waterless urinals and urine diverting toilets and the recovery of water from urine. Despite certain limitations, including assumptions regarding decentralized urine collection and bench-scale data, this study provides evidence supporting the viability of urine-derived fertilizer as a sustainable nutrient source for agriculture. Future research should explore the removal of microconstituents, scalability, the use of different acids, comparisons between urine-derived fertilizers and common organic fertilizers, and application across diverse crops to enhance the implementation of urine-derived fertilizers. Environmental science Engineering Agriculture engineering Fertilizer Lettuce life cycle assessment Nutrient Recovery Urine Diversion Nutrient Recovery from Human Urine and Application in Lettuce Growth Anticipatory Life Cycle Assessment