Toilet waste is power, say researchers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Mar 10, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX)

There's power -- the illuminating kind, that is -- in that which is flushed down the toilet, say researchers at Pennsylvania State University.

To prove their point, the researchers say they have developed an electricity generator fueled by toilet waste, New Scientist magazine reports.

Better still, they say, the device breaks down harmful organic matter as it generates the electricity.

The researchers say their fuel cell or MFC harnesses chemical techniques similar to those the body uses to break down food. Except in this case, it diverts the electrons liberated in the reactions to produce electrical energy.

"There are extraordinary benefits if this technology can be made to work," said Bruce Rittmann at Northwestern University in Illinois.

Many developing countries urgently need sewage processing plants but they are prohibitively expensive, largely because they use so much power, said the report.

News Provided By

Copyright 2004 by United Press International.