While the world looks to wind farms and wave technology to provide tomorrow’s renewable energies, a group of scientists found the answer much closer to home. In the toilet, to be precise.
Yes, it had to happen eventually, didn’t it? Human urine can power your smartphone. Well, at least it’s not being used in your washing machine yet.
A team of scientists at the University of Bristol has developed a new type of fuel cell that releases electrical energy through the bacterial breakdown of human urine.
While that might seem just a drop in the, er, toilet water, it’s actually caused quite a splash. Imagine the convenience of relieving yourself and charging your battery at the same time – oh the efficiency.
So perhaps the next time you drop your phone in the bog you’ll find, when you dredge it back up, that it’s not broken but fully charged.
But what other uses can there be for human byproducts? Could poo ever power a car? Or earwax run your lawnmower? We can but dream…
