Urine-Powered Generator Created By African Teen Girls

Some renewable energy sources are more glamorous than others. Solar and wind are glamorous; biomass and biogas, not as glamorous. Perhaps one the least glamorous renewable resources — but superabundant — has recently been used to power a generator. “Urine” for a surprise as to the resource… Yup, it’s pee! (har har, bad joke)

Teenagers Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and Bello Eniola have developed a urine-fueled generator that can provide six hours of electricity per one liter of pee. The young ladies showcased their invention at this year’s Maker Faire Africa in Lago, Nigeria.
 

 
Here’s how it works, according to The Next Web: “An electrolytic cell separates the urea into nitrogen, water and hydrogen. The hydrogen goes into a water filter purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder. The gas cylinder pushes the hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas. This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.” And voilà! Now you have electricity from pee.

The girls’ generator isn’t the first urine-powered invention – a few batteries have already been powered by pee.

I have to say, I’d much rather use urine as a power source than guzzle it as a health drink.

Image: Laboratory glassware via Shutterstock