35: Wastewater Treatment Could be a Solution for Cleaner, More Efficient Fertilizer

35: Wastewater Treatment Could be a Solution for Cleaner, More Efficient Fertilizer

From Talking Climate by The Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy

February 6, 2026 · 30 min · Season 3 · Episode 35

About this episode

The episode discusses how wastewater treatment can provide a solution for cleaner and more efficient fertilizer, featuring an interview with Margaret Lumley of Roca Water.

Episode Intro: A few weeks ago, I recorded an interview with Margaret Lumley who is co-founder and CEO of a small startup called Roca Water. Roca was one of the top runners up for our Wilkes Climate Prize in 2025. They are driving an innovative technology to tackle two different but related problems – that of water pollution and how we currently make fertilizer for growing plants, for agriculture. Wastewater is a serious climate and pollution problem, but it doesn’t get talked ab...

People in this episode

Guest: Margaret Lumley

Topics covered

  • wastewater treatment
  • fertilizer
  • water pollution
  • climate change
  • agriculture

Keywords

  • wastewater
  • fertilizer
  • water pollution
  • climate
  • agriculture
  • innovation
  • Roca Water

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Roca Water, Wilkes Climate Prize

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