Scientists Use Pee Power to Charge Cell Phone

Science, is there nothing it can’t do?

Researcher Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos said: ‘Using the ultimate waste product as a source of power to produce electricity is about as eco as it gets. One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine.’

The technology relies on passing urine through fuel cells made of microbes. As they feed off the urine, they produce electricity – in this case, enough to charge the battery of a basic Samsung phone.

Dr Ieropoulos and his team, from the University of the West of England, said it was the first time urine had been used directly to power a commercially available battery.