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Project context & challenges

DGTL Festival in Amsterdam is widely recognized as a frontrunner in sustainable event production. As part of the Dutch collaborative initiative Scaling Up Circular Water Chains at Events, DGTL set out to better understand and reduce the environmental impact of its water and sanitation systems.

The challenge was clear: large-scale festivals generate significant wastewater flows in a short time frame, placing pressure on local wastewater infrastructure and conflicting with increasingly strict environmental regulations. At the same time, valuable nutrients contained in urine are typically lost in conventional sanitation systems.

DGTL aimed to turn this challenge into an opportunity by piloting a circular solution that captures nutrients at the source, reduces wastewater loads, and contributes to closing the water and nutrient cycle — all within the temporary and logistically complex setting of a major urban festival.

Key figures

30,000 liters

Urine collected

1,000 liters

concentrated circular fertilizer

14,000 kg

Agricultural potential to grow vegetables or potatoes

Customer benefits

  • Significant reduction of wastewater loads during peak festival days

  • Recovery of valuable nutrients from urine that would otherwise be lost

  • Contribution to circular agriculture through certified fertilizer development

  • Improved insight into the festival’s water balance and sanitation footprint

  • Compliance-ready solution aligned with tightening Dutch and EU regulations

  • Strengthened sustainability profile and visitor engagement around circular water concepts

Solution

Nijhuis Saur Industries supported DGTL Festival with a circular sanitation concept focused on source-separated urine collection and nutrient recovery. Urine was collected on-site through dedicated (unisex) urinals, enabling efficient separation at the source and maximizing recovery volumes.

The collected urine was temporarily stored on-site and subsequently transported to an innovation facility in Duiven, where it was treated using advanced ammonia stripping and nutrient recovery processes. The result: concentrated fertilizer products, including ammonium phosphate, and clean water streams suitable for further use or safe discharge.

The recovered fertilizer is currently being tested in agricultural field trials by Wageningen University & Research, supporting certification pathways for fertilizers derived from urine and demonstrating real-world circular impact beyond the festival grounds.

Scope of supply

  • Advisory and technical support for circular sanitation concepts

  • Urine treatment and nutrient recovery technology

  • Processing of collected urine into concentrated fertilizer

  • Support for pilot testing, monitoring, and data generation

  • Contribution to research, scaling strategies, and knowledge sharing

Applied solutions

  • Source-separated urine collection for festivals and events

  • Circular nutrient recovery from wastewater streams

  • Modular and scalable treatment concepts for temporary environments

  • Integration of sanitation, water quality, and sustainability goals

  • Enabling circular water and nutrient chains from events to agriculture

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