Prithvi Simha Email & Phone Number

Recycling resources excreted in wastewater fractions such as human urine can help achieve a sustainable future and circular economy in the sanitation space. Such recycling could reduce human transgression of several planetary boundaries, including those on biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and phosphorus, while also benefitting existing centralised wastewater treatment plants. My work supports such a transition in the water and sanitation space.My current focus is on developing technologies for treating human urine to produce a) concentrated fertilisers (e.g., granurine, a urine-based fertiliser pellet containing >15% nitrogen); (b) high-value chemicals (e.g., vivianite); and (c) clean water. Parallely, I am also developing techniques to remove heavy metals, pathogens and micropollutants like pharmaceutical drugs from urine or urine-based products.My research involves a combination of natural science (inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, environmental sciences, and material sciences) and engineering (chemical, environmental, civil and process engineering). I also work with systems engineering to analyse and identify strategies for introducing new sanitation technologies and behaviours in society. The emphasis is on both fundamental and applied science research, including prototyping, field-testing and implementation of new technologies in real world settings.

Listed skills include Isotherms, Spectroscopy, Soil Amendment, Sustainable Agriculture, and 31 others.