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Smartphones could be charged by urine in near future

Future smartphone batteries could be powered by just the use of urine

Smartphones require power, and we all know that. They can’t run for more than a day in total, we all know that too. And to recharge the batteries, you need to carry your charger and hunt for a power outlet, and it is not always possible. And we know that too.

However, scientists have been researching on a new method that can power / recharge your smartphone with just your pee. Yes, that’s right! Your urine can power your smartphone. However, it will be a while till this technology will see light of day. You cannot expect people to walk around with urine bags at this stage.

Worldwide there are over 2.5 billion people without access to safe sanitation. In attempt to address this need The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding research on the topic: ‘Create the Next Generation of Sanitation Technologies’. As part of the Grand Challenges Exploration Scheme (Round 7) the Intelligent Bio Energy Group were awarded a Phase-I grant for the project 'Urine-tricity: electricity from urine'.

Urine-tricity successfully demonstrated the charging of a commercially available mobile phone, using Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) fed with real neat urine. Urine-tricity++ follows on as Phase II of the project, with the aim to develop MFCs into a mature sustainable energy technology with a direct application in everyday life that could change the way people perceive waste and energy.

The proposed work is all about electricity generation, whilst cleaning the urine ‘fuel’ and producing clean water in addition to fertilizer, and is focusing on small-scale MFC units, which have been shown to be more efficient and energy-dense. The continuous flow nature of the MFC technology facilitates continuous growth of the constituent biofilm organisms, which clean the input, and can be subsequently used as fertilizer. In essence, the more powerful the MFC is, the greater are the rates of urine utilization.

( Source : dc )
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