The technology is called Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) and a small device is placed under the toilet to collect the wee and process it.
Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, who’s leading the project, says the important thing is how cheap this is. Each unit only costs $1000.
Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, who’s leading the project, says the important thing is how cheap this is. Each unit only costs $1000.
Microbes are little cells that feed on wee; they then create electricity as a side-effect which can be used to power the lights! The scientists behind that device hope that the new toilets will be able to power lights in refugee camps.
Andy Bastable, from Oxfam, says this could be a massive step forward: “Fuel for generators is expensive. As urine is free, this an extremely low-cost and sustainable way of producing light for people at night.”
A human produces 500 litres of wee every year, so there’s always a lot to use and it’s easy to get hold of.
How does it work?
How does it work?
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