Take a leak, power your car

If the future is pee powered then going to one of these won't be so unpleasant.
(Old Florida Outhouse image by Glenn Pebley, Royalty free)

Scientists from Ohio University have come across a way to harvest large amounts of cheap hydrogen from a rather unlikely source: urine. Apparently, plucking hydrogen atoms from urine is much easier than getting it from water.

According to Discovery News, Gerardine Botte, one of the Ohio University professors actively developing this "pee power" technology, attributes this difference to urea, which is not only a major component of urine, but also now a cleaner of diesel emissions. A molecule of urea is composed of four hydrogen atoms and two nitrogen atoms. Applying an electric current using a special nickel electrode causes those hydrogen atoms to pop right off. The trick is that it requires about 97 per cent less electricity to release the hydrogen from a urea molecule than from a water molecule — specifically 0.037V for urine versus 1.23V for water.

Imagine a future where fuel cell vehicles get 2.6 litres (of pee) per 100km and farms generate their own power from livestock waste. That future could be here sooner than you think. Botte currently has a working small-scale prototype that generates up to 500 milliwatts of power, and she plans to have large-scale examples up and running in about six months.

Imagine the road trips of the future. Running low on gas? Just stop for a leak and fill up your car!