A Tiger in Your Tank? Engineer Says Pee-Powered Cars Could Be on the Road Within a Year

[BurtWorm]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/07/pee-powered-cars/



A scientist at Ohio University has developed a catalyst capable of extracting hydrogen from urine. That’s right. Urine. Now you can fill one tank while draining another.

Garardine Botte claims the device uses significantly less energy than is needed to extract hydrogen from water and says it could power hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the near future. Her electrolyzer uses a nickel-based electrode to extract hydrogen from urea (NH2)2CO, the main component in urine. Hydrogen is less tightly bound to the nitrogen in urea than to the oxygen in water, so the electrolyzer needs just 0.37 volts across the cell to oxidize the urea, according to Botte. That’s less than half the amount of energy in an AA battery and considerably less than the 1.23 volts needed to split water.

One of hydrogen’s biggest stumbling blocks to use as an alternative fuel is the amount of energy needed to produce it. And then there’s the matter of distributing it. Botte says her gadget eliminates such problems because it’s small enough to integrate into an automobile. Urine is also readily available — your body produces two to three liters of it each day, and it is the most abundant form of waste on the planet. We could treat waste water while fueling our cars.

“Urea is the same stuff we use to fertilize our flower beds. It’s a solid that dissolves in water and is therefore easy to move,” Botte told Wired.com. “An electrolyzer built into a car would eliminate the need for a hydrogen storage tank, and with the right partnership, I believe we could have pee-powered cars capable of 60 miles per gallon on the road within a year.”


Botte’s current electrolyzer prototype is about the size of a pair of CD jewel cases and can produce up to 500 milliwatts of power. That’s pretty small, but Ohio University has patented the technology and Botte says it could be scaled up to power hybrid and electric vehicles or anything else running on electricity.

“We are currently working on the chemistry of the electrolyzer,” she said. “The next step is the engineering, which should flow just fine. It would involve increasing the size of the electrolyzer, making it more efficient and testing its long-term stability.”

...

[orestes]

1. Just so long as I don't

end up stuck in traffic behind the guy who had asparagus for dinner.

[dmr]

28. Gives new meaning tp "I gotta go!"

This is just too cool. I hope it can be marketed, and not shut down or discredited by the current energy fat-cats.

[The Doctor.]

45. "And get more BEER!"

*This post is not intended to advocate driving while impaired, but rather to encourage beer-drinkers to become a greater natural resource.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

68. I am wondering about the choo-choo train's development

:scared:

[carlyhippy]

2. awesome

waste is re-used, if he can pull this off, he will be one rich man.

[northernlights]

40. um, HE is a SHE!!!!! nt

[carlyhippy]

Even better! You "go" girl :)

go and go and go and go......

[carlyhippy]

51. Even better! You "go" girl :)

go and go and go and go......

[flakey_foont]

3. do you still call AAA

if you run out of gas?

[mwooldri]

54. Naa, you make sure you miss going with AA. nt

[gleaner]

76. As long as you make sure....

the tow truck guy drinks a gallon of fluid before he comes out to top off your tank.:toast:

[rucky]

4. There seems to be an endless supply.

But they're really going to have to make the nozzle holes a bit more user-friendly to pull this one off.

[Buns_of_Fire]

23. Around these parts, that'd likely get you arrested.

Put that back in your pants, son.
But officer, my car needs it!
Yeah, that's what they all say. Damned prevert, with all your interspecies dating and all...

[scheming daemons]

5. This would be a sexist vehicle.... much easier for a man to fill than a woman

[BurtWorm]

8. Where there's a will to wee-wee, there's a way.

My wife will think of one.

[Gwendolyn]

26. Since more women are constantly dieting...

they're usually better at getting 8 glasses of water a day. :)

[dysfunctional press]

36. not as long as the freshette is available at amazon.com...

http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Portable-Reusable-Director-Standing/dp/B001DTRVTK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1247867626&sr=8-2

[pipi_k]

74. I have one of those!

Except the one I have has a retractable "hose"

But anyway, it works


:7

[mwooldri]

56. Ever heard of catheters?

Advantages of this: wire straight into the fuel tank - constant supply top up. No more kids saying "I need to go to the bathroom", just shove a foley in there for the duration of the journey!

[timeforpeace]

6. Winner of The Golden Fleece Award, in memory of Sen Wm Proxmire

[MicaelS]

9. Fuck Proxmire, I despise him.

He was an anti-scientific / anti-space exploration bigot and a hypocrite. He made political hay with his "Golden Fleece" awards duping ignorant taxpayers that he "was on their side" saving them money against "wasteful" government spending, while simultaneously pushing dairy price supports for the people of his state (Wisconsin).

[Greyhound]

50. How is this a fleecing of the public treasury? n/t

[scheming daemons]

7. Another thing... "dude, your car smells like piss!" is not what most people want to hear

Just kidding.... this would be very cool.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. When the tank runs low, a blinking light comes on reading "Urinate, Urinate, Urinate"

[sakabatou]

11. I'll be hearing about this on Thanksgiving for the "Ignoble Awards."

[JVS]

12. Maybe I can get a job providing fuel by drinking beer all day.

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. This would be the ultimate time saver on road trips.

You don't have to pull off the road to get gas OR take a piss. Just drain the lizard right into the tank. The only thing you have to remember is bring a full day's supply of beverages with you.

Wonder if there's a difference in hydrogen depending on what you're drinking? (i.e. would you have "higher octane" piss from the morning coffee than from the water in the afternoon?)

[smokey nj]

22. It would also change completely the pre-road trip conversation parents have with their kids.

"Don't go NOW, goddammit!"

[BurtWorm]

29. 'Kids, don't forget to drink a couple glasses of water. it's going to be a long trip.'

[smokey nj]

30. "I don't care if you're not thirsty, just drink the damned water!"

:rofl:

[Berry Cool]

33. "Kids, don't I always tell you, you shouldn't think about that until AFTER we leave the house?"

[Sherman A1]

14. Interesting

jokes aside, this sounds pretty cool.

[ZombieHorde]

15. What will happen to the rest of the urine in the fuel tank? nt

[Lars39]

16. That'll make filling up at the Golden Gallon a little cheaper.

:D

[luvspeas]

17. this would also help with drought...

If it's yellow, it's mellow
If it's brown - PULL OVER AND FIND A GAS STATION!

[BlooInBloo]

18. I call bullshit.

[dysfunctional press]

37. don't you mean bullpiss?

[BlooInBloo]

42. Touche.

[glitch]

19. Weee! nt

[undeterred]

20. Can they make an adapter for my dog?

[kitkat65]

21. My sister and I got in a huge fight on a road trip because she got upset

about how many times I had to make a rest stop. (More caffeine to stay awake, more rest stopping.)

This should shut her up.

[zulchzulu]

24. I want a hybrid that runs on piss and chicken turds

When the turds run out, you switch to pee.

:rofl:

[reflection]

32. This literally made me spit coffee all over my sleeve.

I tried to turn my head to hit the garbage can and didn't make it.

:7

[hfojvt]

25. "I am sorry ma'am. All those cars start with gas."

What with all the jars I have in my basement, I could be the new OPEC.

[DainBramaged]

27. first of all what is he catalyzing? uric acid? this sounds strangely like an Onion spoof

Uric acid is produced by xanthine oxidase from xanthine and hypoxanthine, which in turn are produced from purine. Uric acid is more toxic to tissues than either xanthine or hypoxanthine.

In humans and higher primates, uric acid is the final oxidation (breakdown) product of purine metabolism and is excreted in urine. In most other mammals, the enzyme uricase further oxidizes uric acid to allantoin.<2> The loss of uricase in higher primates parallels the similar loss of the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid.<3> Both uric acid and ascorbic acid are strong reducing agents (electron donors) and potent antioxidants. In humans, over half the antioxidant capacity of blood plasma comes from uric acid.

The Dalmatian dog has a genetic defect in uric acid uptake by the liver, resulting in decreased conversion to allantoin, so this breed excretes uric acid, and not allantoin, in the urine.<4>

In birds and reptiles, and in some desert dwelling mammals (eg kangaroo rat), uric acid also is the end product of purine metabolism, but it is excreted in feces as a dry mass. This involves a complex metabolic pathway that is energetically costly in comparison to processing of other nitrogenous wastes such as urea(from urea cycle) or ammonia, but has the advantage of reducing water loss.

In humans, about 70% of daily uric acid disposal occurs via the kidneys, and in 5-25% of humans impaired renal (kidney) excretion leads to hyperuricemia.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uric_acid

[Silent3]

31. You don't know shit!

But apparently you know piss pretty damned well. :)

[DainBramaged]

57. HAHAHAHA I don't know Jack Shit, but neither does anyone else.

[eilen]

34. I think the article said urea is broken down, bad news for vegans.

From wisegeek.com:

Urea, also called carbamide, is an organic chemical compound which essentially is the waste produced when the body metabolizes protein. It is a compound not only produced by humans but also by many other mammals, as well as amphibians and some fish. Urea was the first natural compound to be synthesized artificially using inorganic compounds— a scientific breakthrough.

Urea was discovered in 1773 by the French chemist Hillaire Rouelle. In 1828, just 55 years after its discovery, it became the first organic compound to be synthetically formulated, this time by a German chemist named Friedrich Wöhler, one of the pioneers of organic chemistry.

Synthetic urea is created from synthetic ammonia and carbon dioxide and can be produced as a liquid or a solid. The process of dehydrating ammonium carbamate under conditions of high heat and pressure to produce urea was first used in 1870 and is still in use today. Uses of synthetic urea are numerous and therefore production of it is high. In fact, approximately one million pounds of urea is manufactured in the United States alone each year, most of it used in fertilizers. Because the nitrogen in urea makes it water soluble, it is highly desired in this application. Urea is also used commercially and industrially to produce some types of plastics, animal feed, glues, toilet bowl cleaners, dish washing machine detergents, hair coloring products, pesticides, and fungicides. Medicinally, it is used in barbiturates, dermatological products that re-hydrate the skin, and diuretics

Naturally, urea is produced when the liver breaks down protein or amino acids, and ammonia. The kidneys then transfer the urea from the blood to the urine. Extra nitrogen is expelled from the body through urea, and because it is extremely soluble, it is a very efficient process. The average person excretes about 30 grams of urea a day, mostly through urine, but a small amount is also secreted in perspiration.

Physicians can use urea levels to detect diseases and disorders that affect the kidneys, such as acute kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the urine urea nitrogen (UUN) tests, which measure urea nitrogen levels in the blood and urine, are often used to assess how well a patient's kidneys are functioning. Increased or decreased urea levels, however, do not always indicate kidney problems, but instead may reflect dehydration or increased protein intake.

[DainBramaged]

58. Which means we don't have to pee in the tank, we can just buy urea...

[muriel_volestrangler]

55. Urea dissolved in potassium hydroxide solution

Slightly better article here: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/July/02070902.asp

And supplementary information for the paper here (you need a subscription for most of it): http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/CC/b9/b905974a/b905974a.pdf

"Six urea standards of different concentrations were prepared in the range of 0.10 to 0.33 M urea in 7 M KOH.
...
In order to demonstrate that the oxidation of urea is similar to that of human urine, a cyclic voltammetry comparison was made using 3 different electrolytes. First, a baseline comparison in 1 M KOH was made followed by a solution of 1 M KOH with 0.33 M urea. Finally, a solution consisting of 1 M KOH and human urine was tested and compared."

[DainBramaged]

59. Excellent breakthrough.....

[Stinky The Clown]

35. I can imagine an aftermarket device that get's strapped on and connects ......

..... never mind ...... I don't wanna think about it.

[dysfunctional press]

41. think about it...

the people who make milking machines might be able to expand their businesses.

[Kaleva]

48. One could recyle penis vacuum pumps

Fill the tank and gain a (temporary) inch.

[canetoad]

38. Did people not read the article?

Gerardine Botte, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

[lame54]

39. Maybe this will keep people from killing plants on the side of the road

[northernlights]

43. at long last I can put my lazy-arsed horses to work

Gives new meaning to the 2 horsepowers in my back yard. :D

[boppers]

44. Too... many... jokes...

The overwhelming humor material totally took the piss out of me.

[Kaleva]

46. They'd have to modify the fill tube to accomodate females

and males who no longer have a "nozzle" for whatever reason. Maybe a flip down bed pan would work.

[Canuckistanian]

47. Urine is turning out to be a valuable substance

Earlier this week, I heard that urine is a good source of Phosphorus - and there's a global shortage of Phosphorus.
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Urine-is-a-Rich-Source-of-Phosphorus-23464-1/

Also, urine is good for your gardens as a source of available Phosphorus.

And Urea makes a good substitute for salt used to melt ice on winter roads and sidewalks.

And now this.

And we're just flushing this miracle fluid down the toilet.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

49. They could market special features in the car to Republicans like built-in diapers

that could then be squeezed of their contents and automatically replaced. Diaper Dave Vitter could become the spokesmodel for the car as the very image of urination.

[meow2u3]

52. What would happen if you sprinkle when you tinkle?

Would you have to pay a fine for missing?

[BurtWorm]

66. Another question: Would men forget to put the gas tank lid down?

[hedgehog]

69. Now, that's the DUZY!

[muriel_volestrangler]

53. The bad news is you need a supply of potassium hydroxide to absorb the carbon dioxide

and making that potassium hydroxide will need energy too.

'During the electrochemical process the urea gets adsorbed on to the nickel electrode surface, which passes the electrons needed to break up the molecule,' Botte told Chemistry World. Pure hydrogen is evolved atx the cathode, while nitrogen plus a trace of oxygen and hydrogen were collected at the anode. While carbon dioxide is generated during the reaction, none is found in the collected gasses as it reacts with the potassium hydroxide in the solution to form potassium carbonate.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/July/02070902.asp

Of course, you could obtain the potassium hydroxide from the waste potassium carbonate - but that would mean liberating the carbon dioxide ... I don't think we've got a 'free lunch' here.

[northernlights]

60. never mind...misread your post nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

62. It was a reasonable point you raised, I think

Potassium hydroxide gets used up, so it has to be obtained from somewhere. It is reacting with CO2 in this process - CO2 that is produced by the decomposition of the urea. Though, come to think of it, I don't know what normally happens to the urea in sewage etc. - does it end up producing CO2 anyway? It can't stay as urea forever, I'd think, or there'd have been a massive build-up of urea in the environment over millions of years.

I think that if this process could happen on any significant scale, it would require huge amounts of potassium hydroxide, if you don't recycle the carbonate back to it.

On edit:

With time, the urea in urine breaks down into carbon dioxide and ammonia, which is readily used by organisms in soil.

http://www.afwa-hq.org/en/glossary.inc.php

So releasing the CO2 from the urea would happen anyway, in the natural cycle, so this wouldn't be adding more CO2 to the atmosphere after all. Then it becomes a question of the energy needed to recycle the potassium carbonate back into potassium hydroxide.

[eppur_se_muova]

72. Bigger problem: DILUTE solution of urea in heavy, bulky WATER.

This whole story is good for a few laughs, but nothing serious.

[IDemo]

61. I guess that would discourage siphoning..

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

63. Urine was a commodity in ancient Rome.

It was used as a bleaching agent in commercial launderies. Households put their collective urine outside their doors to be collected and it was actually taxed.

I still say the ultimate dream is a car that will run on the household waste of a family that can be collected on site and transformed into fuel on site (your garage)

[mysuzuki2]

64. dooes this mean that men

will have to drive while standing up?

[davsand]

65. Look for new diuretics to flood the market if this technology is ever released.

Water weight will be a thing of the "passed!"


Laura

[AnnieBW]

67. It would make rest stops more interesting.

Instead of a toilet, you get to fill a bottle, then dump it right into your tank.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

70. Piss-on Exxon.

[Cleita]

71. I have heard stories of men peeing in the gas tank when fearful that the almost

empty tank won't make it to the nearest gas station. I don't know how true these stories are. Considering urine has an ammonia content, maybe it works.

:shrug:

[struggle4progress]

73. Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here

[opihimoimoi]

75. I smell something of a scam....

[keep_it_real]

77. But how much is the gov gonna tax us for fulling up?