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19 Jul 2013
Experts from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory have developed a novel technique that uses urine as a means of generating electricity.
The collaboration between scientists from the University of the West of England (UWE) and the University of Bristol (UOB) has been able to charge a mobile phone using urine (see video below).
Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos, renowned for harnessing various microbial sources of power, said: “No-one has harnessed power from urine to do this (charge a mobile) so it’s an exciting discovery. Using the ultimate waste product as a source of power to produce electricity is about as eco as it gets.”
He went on to suggest that the innovative fuel supply is perhaps one of the most reliable that can be created as it does not rely on the nature of the wind or the sun, for example.
The method involved passing urine through a cascade of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which the experts say partially charged a mobile phone.
“So far, the microbial fuel power stack that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call,” stated Ieropoulos.
The research team believe it will be possible, upon further development, to generate enough power to fully charge a phone - making calls, texts and extended web browsing possible.
The MFC used in the team’s research is capable of converting organic matter directly into usable electricity, via the metabolism of live microorganisms.
In essence, the electricity is a by-product of the microbes’ natural life cycle, so in digesting urine they produce energy and the more waste they ingest, the greater the amount of energy produced.
“The electricity output from MFCs is relatively small and so far we have only been able to store and accumulate these low levels of energy into capacitors or super-capacitors, for short charge/discharge cycles,” Ieropoulos said.
The project, which has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Gates Foundation and the Technology Strategy Board, is unique; having charged an electronic device from human waste.
The scientists hope to further their research, and believe the technology has the potential to be installed domestically, to harness urine and produce enough energy to power bathroom lighting and showers.
