A machine developed at USF could turn astronaut waste into fertilizer - Tampa Bay Times

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For those who imagine humans colonizing in space, a technology developed by a University of South Florida researcher could help bring that day closer to reality.

The researcher, Daniel Yeh, has been working for years with NASA to design a compact machine that turns human waste into fertilizer, possibly giving space inhabitants the ability to grow fresh produce. It’s called an “organic processor assembly,” and will be sent to Kennedy Space Center next week for further testing.

Yeh began working on the machine after he was approached by NASA researcher Luke Roberson, who heard Yeh deliver a talk about a similar concept he developed that turns human waste into clean water, energy and fertilizer. That technology is being used to grow food in India and South Africa.

A machine called the "organic processor assembly" converts human waste into fertilizer that could be used to grow food in space. Developed at the University of South Florida, it will soon be tested at Kennedy Space Center. [Courtesy of USF]

NASA has been doing similar work trying to find out how to do this in space, turning human urine into potable water. The space agency decided to work with Yeh, awarding him a $340,000 grant that includes funds to develop a prototype.

“NASA can only resupply a limited mass and volume to the moon and Mars habitats,” Roberson said in a statement released by the university. “This limitation forces research advancements to provide a reliable, closed-loop system between food consumption and production.”

The idea is something that’s already been depicted by Hollywood, Yeh said. In Ridley Scott’s 2015 movie, The Martian, Matt Damon’s character uses his fellow astronauts’ fecal matter to fertilize soil, grow food and survive when he is stranded on Mars.

The machine developed at USF, about the size of a miniature refrigerator, automatically extracts carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from the toilet.

It’s a concept, Yeh said, that could make space travel more sustainable, eliminating the need to transport fertilizer to space. “If you’re going all the way to Mars, it’s difficult to resupply,” he said.

From left, University of South Florida professor Daniel Yeh and graduate students Paul Long and Talon Bullard look over a machine developed with NASA that converts human waste to fertilizer. [Courtesy of USF]

The technology, which has been patented, recently brought recognition to Yeh and Roberson, along with USF graduate student Talon Bullard and former postdoctoral researcher Melanie Pickett. The group won the Kennedy Space Center’s 2020 Sustainable Environmental Awareness Award.

The machine is one of several technologies being evaluated by NASA, Yeh said, but he hopes to one day see it in use.

Developing a technology to work in space poses additional challenges to research, such as factoring in gravity and other forces. But Yeh said the new machine’s potential benefits are not limited to a futuristic science fiction colony. Many technologies, including GPS and Lasik eye surgery, he said, were byproducts of space research.

“There are really strong reasons to pursue research and technologies to work for space,” Yeh said. “Space pushes the limits of our technology and really all of humanity can benefit from it, either here on Earth or in a space setting.”

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