Urine Powered Generator

The "Search" function doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment, so I don't know if this has been posted recently or not. If it has, the video I included is new.

November 23, 2012 - A group of students have developed the generator to counter Nigeria's chronic electricity problems.

Four African girls have created a generator that produces electricity for six hours using a single liter of urine as fuel. The generator was unveiled at last week's Maker Faire in Lagos, Nigeria, by the four teens Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, and Faleke Oluwatoyin, all age 14, and Bello Eniola, 15.

Yahoo News

How awesome is that huh?

I didn't think water run engines could be topped, this not only helps dispose of human waste but it can create power at the same time as well.

*Round of applause for these people*

cool so potentially I could bottle it and sell it and be able to charge my doctor when they want a sample.

It's out there already..(thread)

www.abovetopsecret.com...

So which part of the Urine is the fuel, is it the Amonia? Does Amonia combust or is the power generated through an alternative method? I can't watch the Youtube on this computer.

reply to post by michael1983l


It separates hydrogen from the urine, dries it, and pushes it into the generator to create up to 6 hrs of power on 1 liter of urine.

I can tinkly away about a liter every 2 hours when the beers start flowing.

set one up at every pub / bar around the world no more power shortages.... though possible beer shortages could occur.... erm... on a more serious note quite interesting and a useful invention...

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Hmmm, interesting, but why just for africa? I want one! lol... I wonder if it is more or less efficient than using water? Also what would be left of the urine afterwards? Would there be anything you have to clean out? More details on this would be super...

reply to post by mee30


Even if it's less efficient, you're disposing of human waste to create the power. The leftover product is probably harmless smelly water, which wouldn't exactly be bad for the soil there.

I want one this Xmas. I have an emergency generator and I might get around 2-3 hours per "gallon" of gasoline at $3.49/gal currently. I'm sure this will be a hard to get item in the USA.

reply to post by JibbyJedi

Even if it's less efficient, you're disposing of human waste to create the power. The leftover product is probably harmless smelly water, which wouldn't exactly be bad for the soil there.

Yeah, I was merely curious to be honest and I thought that perhaps it could even be more efficient as it has been processed by the body...The waste I would imagine would be amonia though? It forms crystals... Surely that wouldn't be good for the soil or plants etc... Still not a problem though, just bury it or something...

I want one this Xmas. I have an emergency generator and I might get around 2-3 hours per "gallon" of gasoline at $3.49/gal currently. I'm sure this will be a hard to get item in the USA.

Yeah no doubt, and even harder for the UK... Ever considered a diesel generator and running it on chip fat/cooking oil?

This is just using electrolysis to separate the hydrogen out of water. This water is just pre-owned, and smelly. Aside from that it is just a fuel cell. Bammy and the regime will not allow this technology to spread here in the US. Fuel cells breed independence.

Originally posted by JibbyJedi
How awesome is that huh?

Not very awesome at all.
If it was indeed just a urine powered battery then I'd say that this idea has been known basically ever since batteries were invented, and thats a long time.
But
Reading what little is actually known about this machine makes it clear that it ISNT working as advertised.
Urine simply in itself does not have the power to run anything like a generator of the size shown, for a period of 6 hours.

The first step...

Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.

Describes an electrolysis step, and the energy to power that is not shown anywhere.

So the way I see it is...

1. A source of EXTERNAL power is used to get hydrogen from the liquid, via electrolysis.
2. This hydrogen then powers a generator.
3. Profit.

reply to post by mee30

Ever considered a diesel generator and running it on chip fat/cooking oil?

I'd love to run anything but my gas guzzling generator. As long as it's cheaper than a gallon of gasoline, I'm in. Alternative powered generators are not something I've come across around here, nor has anyone I know.

Diesel yes but I haven't shopped around. Diesel is now more expensive than regular gas here.

We could free ourselves from the electric company's strangle hold on us all with one of these urine machines. I've met bookies in the mafia who were more lenient than my local power company.

reply to post by alfa1


Even if it does require an external source for initial powering, once it is running, it should not require anymore use of the external source, like an alternator in a car. The battery will have enough power to activate the generator, then an alternator should recharge that battery.

They obviously must have proven it works for the media. It was made by 4 teenage girls, the fact that it works at all is a stroke of genius, the bugs can be worked out in time.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Do a google search for running a diesel generator on cooking oil... As far as I am aware you do not need to do anything special, it will just work. After all diesel motors were originally designed to run on nut oil...

All you have to do then is ask your local restaurant if you can have or buy their old cooking fat... Then you just filter it and off you go...

Edit: here you go, an example for you...

reply to post by mee30


I'm a retarded when it comes to this stuff, and if what you're saying is true, I might cry a little bit tonight.


My gf's mother owns a bar/restaurant.

Ga'bye Mafia Electric Company!

reply to post by JibbyJedi


It is most definitely true, and if your gf's mother runs a restaurant then I'm guessing she buys her oil pretty cheap yeah? So get her to order more for you and just use it neat... Then you don't have to filter it... You can run a diesel car on chip fat mate, it has been proven many times... Here is one example



Just do some research yourself but it is pretty easy to do...

Originally posted by JibbyJedi
Even if it does require an external source for initial powering, once it is running, it should not require anymore use of the external source...

Until the hydrogen runs out.
Much like saying once your car is fueled, it no longer requires the fuel station.

The urine is merely used as a salty water source for the hydrogen electrolysis. Just as a source of the hydrogen atoms, extracted with the external power source.
After that 6 hour run, they need to go back to the external power and do the electrolysis thing again to get more hydrogen.

Originally posted by JibbyJedi
They obviously must have proven it works for the media. It was made by 4 teenage girls, the fact that it works at all is a stroke of genius, the bugs can be worked out in time.

Lets not go overboard here. It was just an exhibit in a "maker faire". For people who make stuff.
I doubt the kids ever claimed it to be original, new, novel or otherwise newsworthy.

It just a PR press release from the Maker Faire organisers saying "look at this cool thing somebody made".

Edit - actually it wasnt even a press release, just BLOG entry.
Blog entries describing stuff people made and brought to the faire.
One guy built a motorcycle trike.
One guy built a battery powered UPS for the regular power outages.
Others built farm machinery, toys, etc...

reply to post by JibbyJedi


As we are on the subject of cheap energy, how about this?...



Or make one yourself really cheap, like this...



The designs are endless...

Or how about this...



Should save a lot when it comes to cooking...

I've been researching all this recently so thought I would share with you... There are lots of other things to try like fernel lenses and parabolic mirrors which seem to work quite well.

reply to post by alfa1


You may be right, this is not my area of expertise.

I thought this was a really good thing for Nigeria and possibly anyone who has a lot of keg parties. This is being built outside practically by 4 teenage girls, though I'm sure the concept is not originally their own, they are innovators for their community.

Urine has other uses that many are not aware of.

Believe it or not, human urine will get rid of a fire ant bed overnight.

Been thinking about how to bottle it up.