British scientists have developed a system to generate electricity directly from urine , using microbial fuel cells (CCMs). The method, published in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics , could be interesting if we take into account that each year 6.4 billion liters of urine are produced in the world , which makes this liquid a potential source of energy very interesting alternative.
In their experiments, the researchers managed to produce up to 2.9 milliamps per square meter in each cell for three days, with just 25 milliliters of fluid. The efficiency of direct conversion to electricity was up to 70 percent. “With billions of liters per year available, this technology could help us change the world, and the impact could be enormous also for the wastewater treatment industry”, explains Ioannis Ieropoulos, co-author of the work. Ieropoulos already demonstrated last year that urine can be used as fuel for autonomous and eco-friendly robots.
