Meet Hlumelo Marepula: SA Engineer’s Ground Breaking Research Turns Human Urine into Fertiliser

• UCT master's candidate Hlumelo Marepula's research of turning human urine into usable fertiliser may become a cost-effective alternative for farmers
• The civil engineer collected urine from the bathrooms of UCT that was donated before treating and mixing it with ethanol
• The urea-ethanol solution reportedly recrystallises, ultimately creating a fertiliser that may soon become a valuable commodity

Civil engineer, Hlumelo Marepula's ultimate goal is to turn human urine into usable fertiliser. This will inevitably become a valuable commodity that assists the planet as well as becomes a cost-effective alternative for farmers.

The UCT master's candidate received an award recently for making a urea-ethanol solution. Her ground-breaking research recrystallised the urea-ethanol solution to produce urea or fertiliser and possible diesel engine fluid with a by-product of water.

Marepula began her research by exploring if using human urine in jet fuel production would be feasible. She did this under the guidance of associate professor Dyllon Randall. Her work eventually evolved to focus more on the transformation of human urine into fertiliser.

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Urea can be described as a raw material used to produce a number of chemicals, it is also a nitrogen-rich fertiliser, more than 90% of the planet's synthetic urea is currently being used as fertiliser.

According to the UCT website, Marepula hopes to change Africa's agricultural industry. She explained that fertilisers for the production of food remain scarce in Africa due to the synthetic fertilisers often being unaffordable for small-scale farmers.

A report by Business Insider explained that when Marepula realised that urea could be used as fertiliser she bounced into action. She aims to solve problems in the farming industry as she will then be able to address the food shortages/insecurities plaguing the continent.

The urine for Marepula's research was gathered from UCT bathrooms where waterless urinals were installed - people donated their or urine for the project. The urinals were taken to a lab once they were full and were treated before being mixed with ethanol.

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Meet the incredible Dr. Sebopetsa, Global Principal Award 2021 recipient

In other inspiring news, Briefly News reported that an amazing educator has been recognised by a panel of his peers. The incredible Mr Ngwako Stephen Sebopetsa is the winner of the Global Principal Award 2021.

Heading to their official website, the South African Council of Educators thanked the Limpopo Principal for his dedication to the profession. The prestigious award saw Dr. Sebopetsa beat out contenders from all across the country.

"Dr. Sebopetsa is the principal of Rathaga Primary School at Ga Mokwasele, outside Tzaneen in Limpopo province. He was recognised for excellent leadership acumen, winner spirit, significant work and contribution in the field of Education," the council said.

Source: Briefly News