If sewage can be used to power a Volkswagen Beetle, then why can’t urine be used to power fuel cells? That’s the question a team of researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland are asking.
The team is currently investigating whether or not it can be used as an alternative to flammable hydrogen or toxic methanol, one which is both non-toxic and much cheaper. If successful, the researchers see the process being used in military applications, as well as in remote areas like deserts and islands.
“We are only at prototype stage at present, but if this renewable material can be used as a commercially viable and environmentally-friendly energy source, then we will be absolutely delighted, and many people around the world will benefit,” Dr Shanwen Tao told the BBC.
Tao and his team recently received a £130,000 (US$202,022) grant to develop the process.
Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.