A while ago, I wrote an article about tanning leather and had my gag reflex thoroughly tested thanks to some of the early materials utilized, perhaps most notably, ammonium (in the form of urine). Quite recently this came up in conversation with a friend, like it does for all of you out there. I was mentioning an item shared on FB about the origins of certain phrases: 'piss poor' (being so poor that you sold your urine to the tannery) and the more extreme 'doesn't have a pot to piss in.' It's always fun when certain pieces of knowledge snug up next to each other (though I couldn't say if those phrase origins are true, they seem to make sense at least).
After being appropriately delighted, she (yes, she. don't you talk about urine with your lady-friends?) mentioned that, in Rome, they used urine to take the stains out of garments (ammonium, dontcha know) and had collection stations placed around the city for the good citizens to make their deposits. These vessels were then transported to a fullonica for the cleaning process. The idea that Senators went about in their pristine togas, smelling faintly of the urinal, does elicit a satisfying smile.
Figuring that this was a worthwhile pursuit, I did a little more digging, only to remind myself that I'd covered most of these topics (though organized rather differently). I've mentioned the tanner's trade already. Urine was also used as a mordant in the dyer's profession. Somewhere I must have made mention of the fertilizer angle. The stain-fighting was the only bit it seems I really missed (in my time period). The other noted stain-fighting application, in the Smithsonian article noted below, was to keep your teeth brighter.
The one application that I hadn't covered, that's of really interesting note, is its use in making explosives. Now, Europe didn't get into making explosives until rather late in the game (since the Chinese had been doing it for quite some time), so it's not necessarily applicable to the world I'm creating, but it's not something I should necessarily rule out either. It's certainly something that could be stumbled upon by a curious mind. How it impacts warfare and society is an interesting question, when you have magic in the world. Something to think about.
The myriad applications of urine are just one example of people taking what they have in abundance and putting it to use. It's easy to forget how difficult it was to obtain certain materials, when (today) you can drive to your corner store and pick up a bottle of detergent for the wash and some limes for your margarita. While not every experiment was a success, folks made do with the materials they had on hand. We shouldn't be too surprised that they found a number of ways to put their own eliminations to good use. I seem to remember hearing that some baseball players piss on their hands to toughen them up, but that could just be an old wives' tale.
Historic Ammonium Use - http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-gunpowder-to-teeth-whitener-the-science-behind-historic-uses-of-urine-442390/?no-ist
Urea and Vitalism - http://humantouchofchemistry.com/urea-and-the-beginnings-of-organic-chemistry.htm
Fertilizers - http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Fertilizer.html
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