Engineers create a portable device that generates electricity from urine

Scientists from West England University in Bristol have created a wearable energy source on microbial fuel cells. Urine serves as a nutrient for microbes, and the muscular strength of a person is used to circulate it. The pumping medium for bacteria occurs with the help of special socks.

The device managed to get enough energy to power the wireless transmitter, the signal from which was received by the computer. This, apparently, is the first wearable energy source on microbial fuel cells (MTF).

When walking, urine circulates through the MTH with the help of soft tubes located under the heels, as a result of which the bacteria receive their nutrient medium and generate energy.

MTJ has an anode chamber, a cathode chamber and an ion-selective membrane separating them, capable of transmitting hydrogen protons in one direction. Microorganisms that produce electricity are located in the anode chamber, in which anaerobic conditions are maintained. The cathode is in aerobic conditions. Microorganisms “tear off” electrons from the nutrition substrate and transfer them to the anode.

Electrons move to the cathode, on which oxygen is reduced to form water. At the same time, the formation of hydrogen protons occurs, which pass through the membrane from the anode chamber to the cathode, where they combine with oxygen.

“We have already powered the mobile phone from MTH, using urine as a fuel,” says work supervisor Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos. - Here we wanted to create a fully autonomous system that runs on human energy. She uses urine as a fuel and muscular strength as a pump. ”

These studies are a step towards the use of human waste to power electronics. Bacteria that work at MTN can use a wide range of household waste as a nutrient medium, and thus reduce their dependence on fossil sources for
energy.