Scientists Claim, Urine Could Charge Mobile Phones

Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos in his laboratory at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory holding a phone powered by a microbial fuel cell stack

Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos, an engineer at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at the University of West England has developed the fuel cell with colleagues at Bristol University so that you can charge your mobile phone using human urine. They have created a fuel cell that uses bacteria to break down the liquid waste to generate electricity.They were then able to plug in a mobile phone to charge up its battery.The device is currently slightly larger than a car battery, but the researchers believe they will be able to make smaller and more portable versions.

The microbial fuel cell

The urine powered fuel cells could even eventually replace batteries in some devices.It could mean that dropping your mobile phone down the lavatory will not be the disaster it currently but more of a way of getting some power to make a call.However, the prospect of more people using their mobile phone while in the lavatory will make some uneasy as it is already considered to be the height of bad manners.

"We are very excited as this is a world first, no-one has harnessed power from urine to do this so it's an exciting discovery. Using the ultimate waste product as a source of power to produce electricity is about as eco as it gets," Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos from University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, an expert at harnessing power from unusual sources using microbial fuel cells, said.

"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 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," said Ieropoulos.

The researchers, whose findings are published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, grew bacteria on specially made carbon fibre anodes that were inserted inside ceramic cylinders to create a battery-like circuit.

UK scientists claim to have developed a novel method to charge mobile phones using human urine

When urine was passed through the cylinders, the bacteria broke down the sugar and other chemicals it contained down to produce electrons, building up a small electrical charge inside the fuel cell.This was then passed to a capacitor, which stored the electrical power.When a standard Samsung mobile phone was plugged in, it was charged up.

Currently the amount of electricity produced is relatively small – enough to make one call on the mobile phone. However, the researchers said it cost them around £1 to produce a functioning fuel cell, so such devices could provide a new cheap form of generating power.The bacteria used in the fuel cells are the same as those normally found in waste water treatment plants. 

It is hoped, however, that the project, which has been funded using public money from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Gates Foundation – the charity set up by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, could lead to a new way of creating energy from human waste. 

Dr Ieropoulos said: “We have been pursuing a number of different applications."One would be to put these into domestic situations or it could be used in remote regions of the developing world."The fuel cells we have used to charge a mobile phone with hold around 50ml of urine but the smallest we have had working in the laboratory hold 1ml, so we can make them a lot smaller." Our aim is to have something that can be carried around easily."added: “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.

Scientists believe that the technology has the future potential to be installed into domestic bathrooms to harness the urine and produce sufficient electricity to power showers, lighting or razors as well as mobile phones.

An estimated 38 billion litres of urine are produced by animals and livestock each day.

“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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Write by: RC - Tuesday, July 16, 2013