The notion that homes could be fuelled by human waste, might not be an appealing thought, but it could transform people’s lives in developing countries.
British scientists have already proved they can charge a phone by using urine to feed microbial fuel cells.
And they aim to scale up their innovation to provide much needed electricity and sanitation in the form of a clever bathroom system designed to be used in remote and poor areas of the world.
The research is backed by the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation, as the Microsoft billionaire is keen to help to create a fully-functional system that could be installed in bathrooms to collect urine, which would be used to light and heat a house as well as power gadgets.
The system is being developed by The Robotics Lab – a collaboration between the University of the West of England (UWE) and the University of Bristol.
The beauty of this fuel source is that we are not relying on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun, said Ioannis Ieropoulos, project leader and researcher at UWE.
‘Using the ultimate waste product as a source of power to produce electricity is about as eco as it gets.’
Dr Ieropoulos said that the microbial fuel power stack has so far generated enough power to a person to send text messages, browse the Web and make a short call on their phone.
The technology works by using natural microbes housed within the fuel cell as a bio-catalyst. The microbes consume part of the urine, which generates electrons that when connected to a cathode, create an electric current.
While the technology is proven on a small scale, the scientists’ next aim is to refine the cell so that it can be used to charge a battery, which could power showers and light rooms.
It might be a race to the finish to see whether the fuel cell technology or infrastructure projects will be the first to transform peoples’ lives.
