Thread: Pee is for Power?

With the continuing push for alternate energy sources one has been suggested that is certainly..............novel.

Urine might not pack the punch of rocket fuel, but what it lacks in energy density it makes up for in sheer quantity. It is one of the most abundant waste materials on Earth, with nearly 7 billion people producing roughly 10 billion litres of it every day. Add animals into the mix and this quantity is multiplied several times over.
As things stand, this flood of waste poses a problem. Let it run into the water system and it would wipe out entire ecosystems; yet scrubbing it out of waste water costs money and energy. In the US, for instance, waste water treatment plants consume 1.5 per cent of all the electricity the country generates. So wouldn't it be nice if, instead of being a vast energy consumer, urine could be put to use.

So how is this accomplished

Botte's brainwave was to use urine instead of water. By weight, urine contains roughly 2 per cent urea, and each urea molecule contains four hydrogen atoms, which, crucially, are less tightly bound to the molecule than the hydrogen in water. Splitting these bonds would require less energy, making hydrogen production more efficient.
Last year, Botte's team reported that they had been able to generate hydrogen from urine using an electrolytic cell with cheap nickel-based electrodes running at only 0.37 volts- much less than the 1.23 volts it takes to split water (Chemical Communications, 2009, p 4859). Pure hydrogen bubbled off at the cathode, while nitrogen and carbon dioxide formed at the anode.

Pee is for power: Your electrifying excretions - tech - 24 August 2010 - New Scientist

It is sure going to make "filling the tank" a bit easier for boys but for us girls.........?

Hey why not? lol

Originally Posted by ShawneeMoon

Hey why not? lol

>while nitrogen and carbon dioxide formed at the anode
Waste material. There's bound to be some other abundant chemical to pull hydrogen from. I highly doubt our options are only water and piss. =|