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Although urine is often overlooked, its potential impact on humanity's future might surprise you. Experts suggest that the uses of urine are as vast as its availability. With ongoing advancements in technology and scientific understanding, researchers are uncovering increasingly creative ways to harness this valuable resource for a brighter future.
10. Blood of Robots
It turns out that our future robotic leaders may rely on the power of our own bladders! At the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, researchers have developed an artificial heart that could power the robots of tomorrow.
By 2010, an estimated 8.6 million robots were in operation worldwide, working across various industries and fulfilling numerous roles. Traditionally, robots are powered by solar energy, batteries, or electricity. However, Peter Walters and his team at the University of Bristol have taken a unique approach by developing a robot that can recharge itself using a urinal.
The team of scientists designed an artificial heart that circulates human urine into microbial power stations, which break it down and generate electricity. This innovative heart successfully powered a robot named “EcoBot” using only human urine. While EcoBots have previously operated on other biodegradable substances, this marks the first time the technology has been sustained by an artificial heart fueled by urine. The researchers aim to refine this urine-powered heart and envision using these EcoBots in the future, particularly for environmentally friendly projects such as pollution monitoring.
9. Monitoring Climate Change
The rock hyrax, also known as pelele in Africa, is a small, furry mammal from the Hyracoidea order. Resembling a guinea pig, it spends most of its time basking in the sun or grazing on grass and leaves. At first glance, the rock hyrax may not seem extraordinary—but its urine is now being recognized as a crucial tool in studying climate change.
Rock hyrax families typically designate a preferred spot to urinate, and their quickly drying waste often preserves remnants of a specific time period—such as pollen, dried leaves, and air bubbles—that offer insights into how the climate shifted over time. Researchers from France’s Montpelier University examined these layers of dried urine and cross-referenced them with established climate change theories. They found that the urine accurately reflected historical climate shifts, like the retreat of glaciers in Europe at the end of the last ice age and the formation of lakes from melted water as the Earth warmed. Due to its precision in chronicling climate history, the researchers believe that rock hyrax urine could become a valuable tool in predicting future climate changes.
8. A Potential Solution for the Water Shortage
Although it may seem unappealing, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing images of urine consumption. Beyond Bear Grylls’s viral moments, astronauts often recycle urine to stay hydrated during space missions. However, experts warn that drinking urine could soon become more than just a survival tactic in TV shows or space shuttles. As our fresh water supply depletes at a concerning rate, scientists suggest that treating and reusing our urine could become a necessary practice in the near future.
Thanks to advancements in technology, urine can now be treated more affordably and efficiently, and the US National Research Council suggests that reclaiming it for reuse may provide a sustainable solution to the global water crisis. While urine naturally makes its way back into our water systems, this process is slow. Treating urine directly from sewage systems would be much quicker than waiting for it to return to our natural water reservoirs. The council also notes that recycling urine could present fewer health risks compared to extracting water from our current sources. Additionally, it may allow us to recover phosphorus from urine, a resource that is also dwindling.
The future of recycled urine is beginning to take shape. Due to the ongoing severe drought affecting many towns in the region, the Texan town of Big Spring has turned to reprocessed urine to provide potable water for its 27,000 residents.
7. Combatting Pollution
The UN Weather Agency reports that CO2 levels are at a historic high. In 2012, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 393.1 parts per million (ppm), 2.2 ppm higher than in 2011. Projections indicate that by 2016, CO2 levels will exceed 400 ppm, far surpassing the 350 ppm considered safe by scientists.
CO2, the primary cause of global warming, is a naturally occurring gas on Earth. However, human activities such as industrial production and vehicle emissions are significantly increasing CO2 emissions at a rate faster than the planet can handle. This rapid rise in temperature is causing glaciers to melt and lakes to dry up before our eyes. Fortunately, scientists in Andalusia have discovered that global warming can be mitigated by a surprising mixture of urine and olive wastewater. This unique combination has the ability to absorb CO2 when exposed to the air.
The researchers clarify that each urea molecule in urine generates one mole of ammonium bicarbonate and one mole of ammonia. These then absorb one mole of CO2 from the air, helping reduce the excess emission of this greenhouse gas. As CO2 is absorbed, urine produces another mole of ammonium bicarbonate, which can be used as fertilizer for agricultural purposes. The olive wastewater's function is to prevent the urine from becoming stale, allowing the urine to absorb gas until it reaches full saturation. This innovative mixture can be strategically placed in chimneys where CO2 emissions typically flow through. A unique filling and emptying system can also be incorporated to make replacing the liquid more efficient.
6. Pee-Powered Mobile Devices
Nearly half of Americans now own smartphones. These high-tech devices, capable of performing a variety of tasks, are not going anywhere soon, and we will soon have to address the issue of their growing energy consumption.
Fortunately, Dr. Ioannis Ieropoulos from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory is already working on a solution. Earlier this year, he and his team developed a method for charging smartphones using urine. By passing urine through microbial fuel cells (MFC), which break down the pee into electricity, the team was able to power a mobile phone long enough to send messages, browse the web, and even make a brief phone call.
Although the process of converting urine into electricity is still in its early stages and currently generates only modest amounts of power, both the researchers and their supporters remain optimistic about its long-term potential. The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation, which has funded further advancements in this technology, envisions a future where pee-powered smartphones could contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient world.
5. Urine-Powered Vehicles
Over the past ten years, alternative fuel vehicles—such as those powered by hydrogen instead of fossil fuels—have captured the public's imagination, with major car manufacturers promoting the idea of affordable, low-pollution vehicles. However, these alternative cars often face challenges that prevent them from reaching the market. While natural gas is abundant and can be derived from water, producing large quantities of hydrogen remains difficult due to the energy required for the process.
To address this issue, Dr. Gerardine Botte from Ohio University created an electrolyzer capable of extracting hydrogen from urine using significantly less energy. With this innovation, Dr. Botte unlocked the potential to power cars using hydrogen from urine. She explains that because hydrogen is less tightly bound to urine than it is to water, her device only needs 0.37 volts of energy—less than half of what an AA battery provides—to extract it from urea. In contrast, water requires 1.23 volts to separate its hydrogen. Given the minimal energy required to extract hydrogen from urine and the fact that each person produces 64 ounces of urine daily, the dream of urine-powered vehicles is fast becoming a tangible possibility.
4. Growing Brain Cells from Urine
Despite common belief, the adult brain is capable of generating new cells. However, in cases of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, the loss of brain cells outpaces the production of new ones, resulting in symptoms such as dementia and depression. But where can patients suffering from these debilitating diseases find new brain cells? Scientists from China suggest that the answer might be in our urine. Duanqing Pei and his research team discovered that human urine can be utilized to cultivate new brain cells.
In their experiment, the researchers extracted cells from urine samples of three different donors and transformed them into neural progenitors—immature brain cells that can evolve into either glial cells or neurons. These cells were nurtured and reprogrammed into various brain cells, with some developing into fully functional neurons capable of transmitting nervous impulses. Other cells matured into glial cells, such as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. These newly created brain cells were then transplanted into the nervous systems of newborn rats. A month after the transplant, the cells were still alive and active, although their integration with the rats’ brain circuitry is still being studied.
One of the major advantages of this method is its ethical appeal. Currently, researchers are exploring the use of embryonic stem cells to treat neurodegenerative diseases, a practice that has faced opposition from pro-life groups. However, this new technique involves taking urine samples from donors or patients, which sidesteps ethical concerns. As this method progresses, it could offer a simpler, more effective, and ethically sound approach to treating neurodegenerative disorders.
3. Self-Healing Rubber
Rubber has its share of limitations—broken toys and flat tires are prime examples. It's a flexible and soft material, adaptable for many uses, but heat and other stresses can cause it to crack. French physicist Ludwik Liebler took inspiration from these flaws and used urine to create an extraordinary innovation straight out of science fiction—self-repairing rubber.
This extraordinary material is produced by mixing urea with vegetable oil. When it’s torn in two, the rubber can be rejoined seamlessly, returning to its original form. Liebler attributes this healing property to the interaction between the fatty acids in the vegetable oil and urea, which forms a non-uniform molecular structure that avoids crystallization and rigidity.
The potential applications for this material are vast. Once a mere concept in science fiction, self-healing products like shoes, gloves, wallets, and tires made from this remarkable material might soon become a reality. Since both urine and vegetable oil are abundant and renewable, mass-producing this material won’t pose a significant challenge. With the French chemical company Arkema now embracing this breakthrough, self-repairing products may be part of our future sooner than we think.
2. Pig Pee Plastic
Pig urine is currently one of Denmark’s most troublesome environmental issues. With around 20 million pigs producing vast amounts of urine every day, the country faces significant challenges in handling this waste. Luckily, a company called Agroplast has found a unique way to tackle this smelly problem. While the idea of combining “pig urine” with “plastic spoons” might sound unappealing, Agroplast is working on just that. Their goal is to turn the components of pig urine into plastic precursors, which can then be used to make items like spoons and plates. Since pig urine is expensive to dispose of and serves no other purpose, using it to create plastic provides an innovative solution to the pollution caused by this waste.
Bioplastics—plastics made from renewable biological sources—are not a new idea. For years, people have been producing them from ingredients like vegetable oil, corn starch, and plant cellulose. However, bioplastics have often been more costly to produce than conventional plastics made from fossil fuels. Agroplast argues that using pig urine to create plastic will reduce production costs by one-third compared to traditional fossil fuel-based plastics.
1. Rocket Fuel
Our next trip to space could very well be powered by pee, thanks to groundbreaking research by scientists at Radboud University in the Netherlands. Led by microbiologist Mike Jetten, they have discovered a way to transform urine into rocket fuel. This process involves a special type of bacteria, known to thrive without oxygen, which can convert the ammonia in urine into hydrazine, a key component of rocket fuel.
The scientists identified the anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (or “annamox”) bacteria as the key players in this remarkable process. Although microbiologists were already aware of the bacteria’s ability to turn ammonia into hydrazine, the complex mechanisms involved were only recently unraveled by Jetten and his team. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize space exploration, with the bacteria offering a sustainable source of rocket fuel using the millions of gallons of ammonia produced daily from human waste.
Given the ongoing budget cuts faced by space programs such as NASA, the idea of converting urine into rocket fuel presents an exciting and cost-effective solution. This discovery could make space missions more affordable while ensuring that we can continue to explore the cosmos, despite financial limitations.
