2023-06-30 11:15:06
Japanese farmers use fertilizer from human waste to fertilize plants. (Photo: ABC News)
Like many other parts of the world, the use of human waste as fertilizer for crops was once very popular in Japan.
However, this type of fertilizer has been gradually replaced by the introduction of drainage systems, waste treatment plants and chemical fertilizers.
About 10 years ago, Japanese waste treatment plant owners wondered how to dispose of waste organic fertilizer This method continues to be popular to avoid the need to treat sludge – a process that is expensive and potentially polluting the environment.
But in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict pushing prices chemical fertilizers increasing, many people are interested in this cheap traditional fertilizer.
A factory in Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture recorded a 160% increase in sales of fertilizer made from human waste or “shimogoe” (in Japanese) as of March, compared with the same period last year.
The facility sold out of stock for the first time since the city began producing the fertilizer in 2010.
The facility’s deputy manager Toshiaki Kato said that their fertilizer products are widely used because they are good for the environment and cheap, helping farmers reduce their rising capital costs.
Composed of septic tank sludge combined with human waste, this fertilizer costs 160 yen ($1.1) per 15 kg, only 1/10 of the price of products made with imported raw materials. export.
Moreover, the sludge has been treated and removed harmful materials such as heavy metals, which does not pollute the environment.
Similarly, a fertilizer factory in Saga city, southwestern Japan, also reported a 2-3x increase in sales compared to normal.
At the Miura Biomass Center near Tokyo, trucks transport human waste to a treatment facility.
Water has been removed from the waste, then the remaining solid waste is fermented by bacteria in large tanks.
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The methane produced in this process is burned to provide hot water and electricity for the facility.
The end product is an earth-like powder that can be spread in fields, good for leafy crops. This plant has a capacity of 500 tons of fertilizer/year.
Fertilizer expert Arata Kobayashi said shimogoe was a key fertilizer in the Edo period. In the early 18th century, the one million inhabitants of Tokyo, then known as Edo, were “producing” about 500,000 tons of fertilizer a year.
The Japanese government is encouraging people to use fertilizers from human waste. (Photo: ABC News)
According to Mr. Kobayashi, this is big business, involving collectors, transporters, farmers and they all benefit from this recycling system.
Agricultural experts say fertilizers produced from human waste have a balancing effect microbiota in the soil, limiting leaching, soil erosion, saving irrigation water, helping to remove toxic substances in the soil, balancing the natural environment.
The Japanese government has encouraged the production of fertilizers from human waste, citing environmental protection and food security concerns, since Russia began conducting a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. .
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries hopes to double its use of fertilizers from human and animal waste by 2030, moving towards its goal of making up 40% of all fertilizer use in Japan. /.
Nguyen Hang (VNA/Vietnam+)
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