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Fuel Cells From Nanomaterials Made From Human Urine

Posted by timothy on from the hennig-brand-would-be-proud dept.

New submitter turning in circles (2882659) writes 'Carbon based fuel cells require carbon doped with other elements, normally platinum, for oxygen reduction reactions. Urine contains carbon with an exciting splash of nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, silicon, and so on, and you don't have to manufacture it: the stuff just comes out by itself. In an article published this week in an open journal, researchers from Korea reported a new nanomaterial for fuel cells, which they dub "Urine Carbon." Upon drying, and then heating at 1000C, and rinsing of salts, the resulting Urine Carbon porous nanostructures outperformed Carbon/platinum in electrodes.'

12 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. the stuff just comes out by itself by LesFerg · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure you can get some kind of medical treatment for that

    --
    If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
    1. Re: the stuff just comes out by itself by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 2

      Who the hell comes up with "You know, we should see how well using urine works for making a fuel cell."

      Probably the same guy who looked at a chicken and said "I'm going to eat whatever comes out of it's butt."

      --
      They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
  2. All it takes is power by edibobb · · Score: 2

    With enough energy, you can convert water, urine, or almost any common chemical into a fuel cell and make the headlines. However, that does not make it practical. There are always the problems of efficiency, scalability, portability, and sometimes availability (as in the case of urine and bacteria). In other words, don't pee in your gas tank any time soon.

    1. Re:All it takes is power by DougOtto · · Score: 4, Funny

      If peeing in your gas tank is wrong I don't want to be right.

      --
      Solving Unix problems since 1989...
    2. Re:All it takes is power by InvalidError · · Score: 4, Informative

      Urine is not a fuel in TFA. They extracted a few chemicals from it which can be used to process carbon electrodes that allegedly outperform conventional carbon electrodes with platinum catalyst.

      Eliminating the need for platinum could considerably reduce costs.

    3. Re:All it takes is power by camperdave · · Score: 2

      Your mechanic loves you!

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  3. Re:Time to piss is someone's gas tank by timrod · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Here's my question: how hot can a methane-fuelled fire get? I just had the rather humorous (and possibly disturbing) thought of batteries made of piss heated using farts as fuel. Every man could become part of his own power source.. plus we could harvest all that methane from cow farts that is supposedly contributing to global warming.

  4. Re:human power source by decipher_saint · · Score: 2

    To serve us cheap, watered down beer!

    I for one welcome our new robotic stadium vendor overlords

    --
    crazy dynamite monkey
  5. Re:Energy density? by Defenestrar · · Score: 4, Informative

    The URC acts a catalyst in the fuel cell, not the fuel itself. The catalyst is what lowers the activation energy for the reaction and in this case also serves as the conductor which transports the generated electricity for other use.

  6. And it's just the first step! by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

    But I'm not so sure we want to be around for number two...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  7. Re:LOL ... by davester666 · · Score: 2

    Yeah, people are known for their great aim in bars. You can put some guys in a room where they could piss anywhere in the room, and they would wind up pissing out the door.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  8. Re:Urine a source of "nutrients" no to waste by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 2

    Hepatitis is not transmitted via 'fertilizers' and hook worms only if you put the excrements on the ready to harvest fruits (and what would be the point of that?)
    The rest of your post is simply wrong ...

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.