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Urine Tapped as New Fuel Source

livescience.com — Topping off your hydrogen-fueled car's tank may soon have an entirely new meaning.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 16, 2009

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  • paulisnotdead, on 07/16/2009, -0/+17Filling the gas tank just got a whole lot more awkward.
  • deinosmos, on 07/16/2009, -0/+16So you're saying I've actually been HELPING my ex-wife all these years?
  • BKpimp, on 07/16/2009, -0/+12"The new fuel will come in regular and asparagus."
  • sklassen, on 07/16/2009, -0/+12Lloyd Christmas isn't looking so dumb 'n dumber now is he?
  • TheThirdWheel, on 07/16/2009, -3/+12Yaah! Another alternative fuel source that will never happen! There will be ***** at the watercooler today telling everyone how in 10 years all the plumbing from the office building would just flow directly into large tanks that they can use to fuel their flying cars.

    Better batteries for electric cars + nuclear power = problem solved.
  • borez, on 07/16/2009, -0/+7That's just taking the piss.
  • doctechnical, on 07/16/2009, -0/+6I pee, ergo I go.
  • epgui, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4I tried to harness some of the energy contained in urine for my grade 11 chemistry project.

    1 - Distilled a few liters of urine.
    2 - Separated the white phosphorus.
    3 - Captured the near-lifelong luminescent properties of phosphorus with a photodiode and produced light.

    The teacher thought it was disgusting and threatened to expel me from the IBO. I got a 0% grade.
  • Ashes42, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4"One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses" ... for how long? I mean, nanoseconds don't count.
  • alzabo, on 07/16/2009, -1/+5The problem with batteries is that they depend on the difference in electric potential between two chemicals. This difference can only be so big -- it's a characteristic of the substances being used. Therefore, in order to generate the required amount of energy needed to, say run a car, you have to use more batteries -- which are large and heavy. Eventually you get to a point of diminishing returns.
    Hydrogen fuel cells are limited by how much compressed hydrogen you can get into a tank -- which happens to be a whole lot. Seeing as Ammonia, a large component of urine, happens to be four parts hydrogen to one part nitrogen and it happens to be in every toilet across the country, this looks like a pretty good place to get hydrogen from. The hard part will be extracting the hydrogen safely and reliably in such a way that a machine could be included into the workings of a home.
  • Plurkman, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4At last we can take our car and piss off.
  • InTheUnion, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4Well I don't think the cows themselves get used up.
  • inajeep, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4For women maybe.
  • xenotek, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3I think you mean awesome
  • mysticalone, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3"Ma'am, need a fill up?"
  • diggwut, on 07/16/2009, -1/+4Now you can feel good about drinking and driving.
  • freshgrease, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3So this means rednecks with jacked up trucks will need another step and handle bar?
  • rento, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3Petrol stations and Pubs on the same yard?
  • Myztry, on 07/16/2009, -0/+3I just hope they don't get the teat cup and the piss cup confused when they are milking/piss-draining the cow...
  • Neville007, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2Amazing. And to think I've always thrown it away...
  • inactive, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2Beer rental?
  • doctechnical, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2I see a great need - specially specialized gas tank holes. Hmm.
  • neillio3000, on 07/16/2009, -2/+4Speak for yourself
  • skipvt, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2I guess you really do need to drink 10 glasses of water a day.
  • wisdomsdoorblog, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2Great article, great idea. I'm glad to see there are people out there trying to find an alternative solution and we surely won't run out of pee. Wonder what they will charge for it. LOL Perhaps we could each have a pump in our own back yards. :)
  • frostbyt, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2That idea is a pisser.
  • denizen42, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2http://www.charterflights.co.uk/images/airport-par ...
  • Rixta, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2So would asparagus piss make it go faster or slower?
  • blqysmg, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "When you've gotta go, you've gotta go."
  • jeremymccurdy, on 07/16/2009, -1/+3I hope this never comes to fruition. Just think of all the creeps fitting their gas tanks with fleshlights so they can multitask.
  • snagglefoof, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2If only they made one powered by semen...
  • paulmoore, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2finally a reason to drink and drive
  • ShadowFusion, on 07/16/2009, -0/+2Wow if they can make these machines cheap and affordable every sports stadium, school, large business, and especially bars, etc would be able to convert their restrooms into a steady 'stream' of income if you will. Just stockpile the liquids, have contracts worked out with distributors/sellers and reuse it indefinitely.

    maybe bars will start offering some free beer to patrons who promise to use their restroom :)
  • tensaibaka, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2They stole the idea from Red Dawn....oh yeah, that was the radiator.
  • scotchyscotch, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1Now this I can do, where do I sign up to make money off of my golden renewable resource stream. /I need money.
  • solunas, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1You got it all backwards - The Matrix is already in here. Local alternative and autonomous energy control is how we break free of it.
  • InTheUnion, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1This brings a whole new meaning to the verb 'to go'
  • grimfandango, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2So we've become human cells. The reality of the Matrix is upon us...
  • wdninja, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1This kind of reverses the "I'll piss in your gas tank" warning/insult
  • darthom, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1No worries, mate. NASA has this covered.
  • CTK14A, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1"It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything." -Albert Einstein's teacher to his father, 1895
  • ShadowFusion, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1haha thank you sir.. gave me a good laugh
  • nateyo, on 07/16/2009, -1/+1o.O
  • Zaxcomp, on 07/16/2009, -2/+2There wont be widespread hydrogen cars, so this seems a bit silly.
  • InTheUnion, on 07/16/2009, -4/+1There's no way that greedy fuel companies would let this happen.

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