Posted on 07/29/2013 11:03:08 AM PDT by Red Badger
British scientists on Tuesday reported they had harnessed the power of urine and were able to charge a mobile phone with enough electricity to send texts and surf the internet. Researchers from the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory in south west England said they had created a fuel cell that uses bacteria to break down urine to generate electricity, in a study published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
"No one has harnessed power from urine to do this so it's an exciting discovery," said engineer Ioannis Ieropoulos.
"The beauty of this fuel source is that we are not relying on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun; we are actually reusing waste to create energy.
"One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine," he added.
The team grew bacteria on carbon fibre anodes and placed them inside ceramic cylinders.
The bacteria broke down chemicals in urine passed through the cylinders, building up a small amount of electrical charge which was stored on a capacitor.
Ieropoulos hoped that the cell, which is currently the size of a car battery, could be developed for many applications.
"Our aim is to have something that can be carried around easily," he explained.
"So far the microbial fuel power stack (MFC) that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.
"The concept has been tested and it works - it's now for us to develop and refine the process so that we can develop MFCs to fully charge a battery."
They hope the technology will eventually be used to power domestic devices.
Mobile phones are displayed on May 20, 2013. British scientists on Tuesday reported they had harnessed the power of urine and were able to charge a mobile phone with enough electricity to send texts and surf the Internet.
Yeah, especially sloshing with pee. I don't think marketing it as a "fashion accessory" is going to help.
Hmmm, I’m seeing a potential combination of composting toilet/power source here. Maybe just enough to run a few LED lamps, but still, useful in the off-grid homestead.
iPissPhone
.
The IPPhone marketed by the I.P.Freely Corp.
This should make my middle son so happy. He’s always dropping his cell phone in the toilet.
Gives a whole new meaning to telling someone to “P*** off”.
LLS
I would be a little apprehensive about being in the room with the seated scientists pictured, as it looks as though they are wearing lab coats but no pants....
a fuel cell that uses bacteria to break down urine to generate electricityGosh, can piss-powered cars be far behind? /s
Thanks for the ping.
Now I’ll have a great excuse for hanging out at the tavern...I’m busy re-charging my iPhone!
Of course, the main problem with this method is trying to keep from hitting your hands.
The team hope their work will lead to emergency charging devices for remote locations.
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