UC Davis

Waterless and low-flow urinals offer a way to minimize potable water consumption and collect urine for downstream nutrient recovery; however, its practicality and social acceptability is hindered by technical problems such as biomineral pipe fouling. Understanding the biology of the urine drainage systems and factors that influence key reactions will provide insight when developing treatment methods to prevent pipe fouling in urine drainage systems. To understand the biomineral fouling, a four-part study was developed which consists of (1) a literature review, (2) biogeographic microbial ecology study, (3) a multiple regression study to determine the influencers of biomineral urease activity, and (4) an exploratory study on the use of an agricultural urease inhibitor, n-butyl thiophosphoric triamide, to minimize biomineral formation in urine source-separation systems.