Urine-powered generator developed by teenagers showcased at Maker Faire Africa 2012

Four African teenage girls were able to develop a urine-powered generator. 14-year olds Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, and Faleke Oluwatoyin together with 15-year old Bello Eniola, showcased their unique innovation at this year’s Maker Faire Africa held in Lagos, Nigeria. The system works by pouring urine into an electrolytic cell to separate the hydrogen. The filtered hydrogen then goes into a water filter for purification where it then be pushed into a gas cylinder.

Afterwards, the gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax in order to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas. Lastly, the purified hydrogen gas is then pushed into the generator to provide power to the bulb. The girls claim that one liter of urine is enough to power the generator for six hours. Not bad for an alternative source of electricity Maker Faire Africa is an international organization that aims to promote and support innovations, inventions, and initiatives in the continent. The urine-powered generator could prove to be useful, especially in Africa, where power shortages are rampant.

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: Concepts, General