Save electricity at treatment facilities by separating urine from the rest of the sewage. As urine accounts for less than 1 percent of wastewater, separating it before getting into the sewage would help extract phosphate and nitrogen more effectively and energy-efficiently. Urine contains 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients, and if 50 percent of the urine is purified separately, the energy needed to treat the sewage would cut down by 25 percent!
But, how can this be done? New versions of toilets need to replace the traditional ones, which will do all the separating work. According to this idea, urine would be collected in tanks serving a building or a neighborhood. It will then be transported periodically to a purification plant.
This process, in turn will also keep the sewage water clean and help from stinking.
Via: Live Science
