Imagine this. Next time you want to enjoy an e-book, it'll have to wait until you've relieved yourself. I get straight to the point: British scientists discovered a way to turn urine into electricity. I'm not saying this is the most elegant way to power a mobile device, but, well, can you think of anything cheaper?
According to Ieropoulos, a member of the team who has been working on
this project:
Quote:
"One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine. By harnessing this power as urine passes through a cascade of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), we have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone. 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 re-using waste to create energy.
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. Making a call on a mobile phone takes up the most energy but we will get to the place where we can charge a battery for longer periods. 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."
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Here's a video describing the process in further detail:
[via
Slashdot, image:
Flickr]