Researchers have recently discovered how to harness energy from an extremely unlikely source, human urine. Urine actually contains certain minerals that can be used to generate electricity.
A new project developed by researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol and Oxfam is able to harness this renewable source of energy in a simple and convenient way.
They developed a urinal that is connected to a microbial fuel cell that turns the urine into electricity.
The first prototype of the electricity generating urinal has been installed at the university, but the team hopes to someday bring this technology to third world countries where it is needed even more desperately.
“The microbial fuel cells work by employing live microbes which feed on urine (fuel) for their own growth and maintenance. The MFC is in effect a system which taps a portion of that biochemical energy used for microbial growth, and converts that directly into electricity – what we are calling urine-tricity or pee power. This technology is about as green as it gets, as we do not need to utilize fossil fuels and we are effectively using a waste product that will be in plentiful supply,” Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, Director of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre, said in a statement.
This technology has also been implemented in many other circumstances, including devices that charge cell phones using urine, as well as efforts to power astronaut’s equipment with their urine.
John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
