this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's full of organics, I'm sure it'd be valuable on the moon for growing things.

[–] GregorGizeh 6 points 4 months ago (5 children)

We dont fertilize our agriculture with human waste as is, there are far too many diseases and such to be transmitted. I believe the north koreans are doing this, and are often suffering from parasites and disease transmitted this way.

To use it on the moon they would need bioprocessors first that break down the waste thoroughly

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Just put it outside for a while; it'll freeze-dry and get sterilized.

(I didn't come up with this insight; I heard it in a video analyzing the plausibility of The Martian.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Add in some solar exposure and not much survives, from what I've read.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

It's a hell storm of radiation up there with no magnetosphere or atmosphere.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Yeah of course, but sterilizing it is going to be way way easier than bringing up dirt from earth.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Any organic matter would be used.

[–] GregorGizeh 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yes of course, not utilizing the resources in the waste is entirely illogical in a zero resources environment. Just that we would probably run it through some sort of purification system first to break down the dangerous contents

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Its perfectly possible to use human waste as a fertilizer, on earth you just need to compost it for around two years to make sure that the pathogens are gone.

As someone said on the moon the process might just be to leave it outside for a bit and you get a perfectly sterile pile of fertilizer