Taking the pee

[Wanted]

We've seen flower pot heaters and Deans infamous recycling shower, now, it would seem that we can run on Pee power!

 

I think if this could be developed to work alongside a composting toilet we'd be on to a winner!

 

http://www.offgridworld.com/urine-powered-generator-produces-electricity-for-6-hours-on-1-liter-of-pee-power-your-home-with-waste/

Edited December 16, 2013 by Wanted

[Alastair]

It needs electricity to work.

 

The clever bit is a cheap and more efficient electrolytic cell, with a nickel catalyst. Seems it is more efficient than splitting plain water with electricity.

 

So you'll need a blooming big wind turbine or solar cells to power this.

[Ex- Member]

Brilliant if it does actually work and can be compacted in to a user friendly size. Are they using the same process as for extracting Hydrogen from water though, is there more Hydrogen in pee maybe?

[Dave Payne]

Im confused, you need electric to create electric!?

[Alastair]

Brilliant if it does actually work and can be compacted in to a user friendly size. Are they using the same process as for extracting Hydrogen from water though, is there more Hydrogen in pee maybe?

Seems that the nitrogen in pee makes it easier to 'crack' the water to extract hydrogen and possible to do so using a cheaper catalyst.

[Wanted]

It needs electricity to work.

 

The clever bit is a cheap and more efficient electrolytic cell, with a nickel catalyst. Seems it is more efficient than splitting plain water with electricity.

 

So you'll need a blooming big wind turbine or solar cells to power this.

Could it not eventually become self surfitiant?

[mayalld]

Could it not eventually become self surfitiant?

 

I suspect that this will prove to be another perpetual motion machine.

[Ex- Member]

Could it not eventually become self surfitiant?

 

The electricity or energy required for the process must be less then the output otherwise there would be little point in doing so, so taking Hydrogen from water that is currently being produced, so in that respect it must already be a viable fuel. these kids might have stumbled across something that cheapens or even does away with the cost of current production process. I could possibly be able to be done in some kind of unit operated by the end user so they can produce their own fuel.

 

Nice thought anyway.

[Machpoint005]

Have a look at the generator in the photo and estimate its fuel consumption per hour. Say 0.5 litre?

The blurb says one litre of urine for six hours, so 0.17 litres an hour.

 

This means the energy density of the pee-derived fuel is about three times that of petrol. I don't believe that for a second.

 

Ergo, snake oil. Or the gas cylinder contains propane and adding the pee derivative makes a marginal difference.

 

 

(wouldn't you like to be a trader in pee derivatives?)

Edited December 16, 2013 by Machpoint005

[Alastair]

 

The electricity or energy required for the process must be less then the output otherwise there would be little point in doing so, so taking Hydrogen from water that is currently being produced, so in that respect it must already be a viable fuel. these kids might have stumbled across something that cheapens or even does away with the cost of current production process. I could possibly be able to be done in some kind of unit operated by the end user so they can produce their own fuel.

 

Nice thought anyway.

Nope, that would make it a perpetual motion machine.

 

The point of it (I believe) is that it produces a fuel that can be stored and used when required. Much like the point of using petrol!

 

The kids didn't invent the process, btw ( I found this out when looking it up). The process was well documented and published as a scientific paper. The kids built a pretty sophisticated working prototype, which is a heck of an achievement.

[The Pipe]

What we need to do now is a costing, the price of energy produced by petrol against the price of converting various forms of alchol into urine for the same amount energy.

[Machpoint005]

Irrelevant if you were going to consume the alcohol anyway

[BlueStringPudding]

Wow! I shall offer my services as the first narrowboat to have one of these installed

 

I have plenty of wee spare! The electricity generated can power my electric flush toilet which I'll be flushing less because I'll be peeing into the generator instead. It's a win-win situation

Edited December 17, 2013 by BlueStringPudding

[Nightwatch]

A wee generator?. Scottish?

[Ex- Member]

A wee generator?. Scottish?

 

Aye!

[WJM]

The claim of 6 hours per litre is the give-away. It was sounding plausible to me until that cropped up. 6 hours per 100 litres sounds more believable...

[Machpoint005]

Yes -- exactly my point. What's the energy content (calorific value) of wee? The energy has to be in there, in chemical form, if the process is to work!

That's why it's all hokum.

[Grace and Favour]

 

I suspect that this will prove to be another perpetual motion machine.

Only on the American incontinent

[George Kennedy]

A Nigerian generator that runs on pee. Makes a refreshing change from the emails offering to transfer $6m to my bank account.

[DeanS]

CAN YOU RECIRCULATE PEE?

[Tony Brooks]

CAN YOU RECIRCULATE PEE?

 

Have you never gear of a recirculating toilet. Very popular when pump outs were in their infancy. It involved sitting on a large plastic or GRP "tank" with an inset bowl a bit like a dump through. A screen was inserted to keep solid away from what was usually a manual bulge pump or on really swish setups the pick up for an electric pump. It was fine for a short while after a pump out but over the days the nice blue (Racasn or Elsan in those days) flush gradually went through green to some shade of brown. The smell also increased.

 

Or did you mean something different, I assume not being a boater

[DeanS]

 

Or did you mean something different, I assume not being a boater

 

wel...I once had a brilliant idea for recirculating a shower....so I was just wondering if it could be used for pee too....;-)

[Taslim]

CAN YOU RECIRCULATE PEE?

NASA do it.

 

Infact Donovan (as was) even sang about it on Cosmic Wheels. (unable to post link)