Oxfam hoping to trial energy-generating urinal at refugee camp
Researchers in the United Kingdom are looking at using the power of pee to light refugee camps in disaster areas.
The BioEnergy team at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in south-west England is taking the piss — literally — to generate electricity.
Their prototype urinal is conveniently situated near a university bar; it collects people's pee, which fuels microbial fuel cells that then generate electricity.
The team's work hit the headlines in 2013 when they showed how pee could be used to power a mobile phone.
Oxfam now wants to take the technology out into its refugee camps.
"It's quite fascinating and it's very fulfilling to be involved in such valuable research," said Professor Ioannis Ieropolous, director of the BioEnergy Centre at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
"The main objective of our work — if I can speak from a personal perspective — is the fact we are developing something which is for the better of humankind and that's the whole purpose of our science."
Across the globe there are more than 2.5 billion people without access to safe sanitation.
To try to address this the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded research out of which "urine-tricity" was born.
Oxfam hopes to harness this power of pee, to light toilet cubicles in refugee camps.
Why lighting up a toilet cubicle matters
The cubicles are often dark and dangerous places for women, according to Oxfam's team leader of humanitarian coordinators, Richard Simpson.
He said many female refugees become victims of opportunistic crime in them.
"They can be dangerous places, so to have lighting around them is very, very important," Mr Simpson said.
"Sometimes we have to rely on power generators to keep the lights going when we set them up; sometimes we have solar panels, sometimes it's difficult to get some of these items.
"So to actually have a technology that utilises what people carry with them, and need to get rid of, is a really good idea."
Oxfam is hoping to trial a prototype at one of its refugee camps in the next six months.
"This one's pretty exciting because you're using the natural waste that people create and everybody is going to have to go to the toilet," Mr Simpson said.
"One of the other things too is we try to work with children and change children's behavioural patterns and the fact they may be able to generate a light by going to the toilet is something that will encourage them to go to the toilet as well."
Free, abundant urine-tricity an attractive prospect for aid agencies
Professor Ieropolous explained the microbial fuel cells contain live microbes which feed on urine to grow.
The fuel cells tap into this biochemical energy and convert it into electricity.
He said the technology is about as green as it gets.
One microbial fuel cell costs about $2 so a small unit would cost around $2,000 to set up.
Considering this, and the fact urine is free and abundant, urine-tricity is an attractive prospect for aid agencies.
Oxfam's Richard Simpson said it was a good concept because local partners who take over in the camps would not have to spend as much money on maintenance.
He added that sadly, given the ever increasing number of humanitarian crises around the world, there will be more and more refugee camps to build and run.
"This is one of the worst periods since the Second World War with regard to humanitarian crisis so we've got a pretty broad area... all the more need to look at different types of innovative ideas because of the stretch on resources that we have at the moment."
