Energie uit urine
28 maart 2015 – Een WC die energie opwekt uit urine: op de University of West England in Bristol is een prototype van zo’n WC geplaatst. Aldus meldt BNR Nieuwsradio.
BNR Nieuwsradio:
‘Het project is onderdeel van Urine-tricity++, een onderzoek van het Bristol BioEnergy Centre. De WC wordt bewoond door microbio brandstof cellen die urine consumeren als brandstof en in de verwerking hiervan energie creëren als bijproduct. Elektriciteit uit plas is groen en goedkoop en wordt binnenkort gebruikt om vluchtelingenkampen te verlichten.’
Bristol BioEnergy Centre:
‘The Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)is a technology that can directly convert organic waste into electricity. The Bioenergy and Self Sustainable Systems Theme is all about bringing this technology to the real world and making the utilisation of waste into energy a reality. Furthermore, being able to generate electricity from naturally occurring biomass, gives robots a novel degree of autonomy that allows their prolonged operation in environments that are inaccessible or even lethal to human beings.’
IntoConnection (een ‘inspiratiesite’ van het Nederlandse &samhoud|media):
‘The ‘pee-power’ toilet is part of Urine-tricity++, a research project of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Urine-tricity++ focuses on finding out how we can get electricity from urine. This can be achieved by a system using Microbial Fuel Cells, which consume the urine as part of their metabolic process and produce electricity as a byproduct.
This system is really green and relatively cheap (one microbial fuel cell costs about £1 to make) and therefore really useful in third world countries. That’s why, in collaboration with Oxfam, these toilets are being tested in order to assess how they could be installed in refugee camps or disaster areas. The toilet area can be lit with this technology and thus creates a safer environment. This is especially important for women and young girls in these camps, who are often victims of assault in poorly lit areas such as toilets. The prototype ‘pee-power’ toilet at the UWE campus resembles toilets used in refugee camps to make the trial as realistic as possible.
There is still some research to be done, but we might all get electricity from our pee one day. Just think about how awesome it would be to plug in your phone charger in the USB port on your toilet bowl, and charge your phone while peeing!’
Bronnen
BNR Nieuwsradio, 27 maart 2015: Hoe je met plas energie opwekt
IntoConnection, This Toilet Generates Power From Your Pee
Bristol Robotics Laboratory, 14 augustus 2014: Bristol BioEnergy Centre
Bristol Robotics Laboratory, 14 augustus 2014: Urine-tricity++: Electricity from Urine
