A group of teenage girls in Nigeria wowed attendees at Maker Faire Africa when they debuted a urine powered generator. The device not only works; it can power six hours worth of electricity using just one liter of urine.
The girls, Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and Bello Eniolaaged, aged 14 and 15, showcased the generator during the fair.
To operate the device, urine is placed inside an electrolytic cell to separate out the hydrogen , which then goes into a water filter for purification. At that point, the product is pushed through a gas cylinder of liquid borax which removes moisture from the hydrogen gas to purify it further.
In the last stage, the gas product is pushed through a generator, which produces electricity. It’s a rather simple process that we’re actually surprised is just now becoming a reality.
There is still one tiny little problem with the product: It has a tendency to explode, although it does have one-way valves for added safety to add a tiny bit of added security.
Turning human waste into a source of power has been investigated for years with many breakthroughs. This newest device, however, begs the question: If four teenage girls can create this type of power, why haven’t scientists made huge public breakthroughs with similar technology.
If the device didn’t have a tendency to explode, I would already have mine ordered and ready to be installed. Would you turn your home toilet into a major source of power if given the opportunity?