Power-up Your Batteries with Urine
This is the latest in battery technology, a group in Singapore came out with a battery that was powered by (among other fluids) urine – and later, a Japanese company marketed this technology with the already popular Non-Pollution Power (NoPoPo) Aqua Batteries. The batteries contain a mix of carbon and magnesium in them. The added fluid then acts as a catalyst to use this mixture to generate power.
The battery pack comes with a plastic pipette that with which you can inject the urine in the main reaction chamber of the battery. Apart from urine, you can also use beer, apple juice, cola, and even saliva. A single urine powered AA battery can power a flashlight for about 20 hours (500 mA-h). Although it is not the most powerful and long-lasting battery out there, the NoPoPo battery’s genius lies in its environmental friendliness. Currently, the NoPoPo aqua powered batteries are available only in the AA and AAA sizes. However, the company has plans to expand its range and release the technology in other sizes as well.
In conclusion, here are a few reasons why the NoPoPo should be more widely used:
- normal batteries containing mercury and lead harm the environment after they are thrown away.
- as you can power them with your body fluids, you can save money.
- these batteries can always be recharged in situations when you are out of power, and have no other way to buy/recharge batteries.
The saddest part is that these batteries are for sale only in Japan. Hope the situation changes soon.