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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“No one has harnessed power from urine to do this so it’s an exciting discovery,” said engineer Ioannis Ieropoulos.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine,” he added.<\/p>\n
The team grew bacteria on carbon fibre anodes and placed them inside ceramic cylinders.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ieropoulos hoped that the cell, which is currently the size of a car battery, could be developed for many applications.<\/p>\n
“Our aim is to have something that can be carried around easily,” he explained.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
They hope the technology will eventually be used to power domestic devices.<\/p>\n
Apple CEO hints at wearable devices, promises innovation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n