Tips Clear News Portal Your Ultimate Guide to Clear Tips on Life, Tech, Health, and More Are we short of oil, gas, water, electricity and minerals? Don’t panic, a few drops of urine and it starts again! Considered a waste that must be quickly disposed of, pee could on the contrary render us some precious services. A top that will relieve more than one
1. A future fuel for cars
Emptying your bladder to fill up your gas tank? It may be for tomorrow… or the day after tomorrow. Regardless, this sleight of hand exists and consists in extracting the hydrogen contained in the urea of our urine by a process of electrolysis. The latter is then used to power an energy-producing fuel cell. In Brittany, a pig farmer decided to step up a gear thanks to the 4320 liters of urine produced daily by his 360 sows, enough to produce, on paper, 216 kg of hydrogen gas per day, or in theory enough to drive 20,000 kilometres! Brilliant, but only on paper, because in practice the solution comes up against a major problem. It takes 11 m³ to store 1 kg of hydrogen gas, which is the equivalent of the trunk of a large utility vehicle!
2. Pee-Power: pee yellow electricity
Did you know that your urine can generate electricity? The bacterial activity contained in pee makes it possible to produce energy by oxidation-reduction effect, roughly speaking by a skilful transfer of electrons. an energy verte yellow used since 2015 at the Glastonbury music festival in England where the 40 toilets used by the 130,000 festival-goers supply energy to the site’s 10 billboards, while generating enough electricity to allow artists and the press service to charge their phone battery.
3. A natural fertilizer for agriculture
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, nutrient-rich human urine was regularly used as fertilizer to nourish agricultural soils. A return to basics, to pee therefore, is of interest to more and more researchers and operators, but difficulties remain to be overcome such as recovery, transport (to obtain 100 kilos of nitrogen, it takes more than 20 tons of liquid urine against 300 kilos of conventional fertilizer) and the spreading of urine to the fields, not to mention the acceptance of consumers, unaccustomed to this type of fertilizer to grow what they will have later in their plates.
4. A biological and ecological cement
Cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is a potential polluter. On a global scale, cement production would thus emit 3 times more CO2 than air traffic! The fault in particular with its manufacture which involves the use of furnaces heated to nearly 2000°C, a temperature obtained thanks to the combustion of fossil fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene…). To reduce the ecological impact of cement, researchers in Singapore have created a biocement based on urea (extracted from urine) which would require significantly less energy to produce.
5. Urine to treat heart attacks
Our pee would indeed contain a substance called urokinase used as a blood thinner in case of stroke, heart attack or pulmonary embolism. Urokinase would thus dissolve the most recalcitrant clots. Do not go as far relieve you on a person victim of a heart attack. Pure urine is absolutely useless, and only a cardiologist surrounded by his team will know how to do it !
6. An alternative to mineral water
Let’s be clear, drinking your pee (or someone else’s) is not a good idea! If the pee contains 95% water, it must be filtered with a filter made up of small microscopic holes and silver molecules capable of capturing and destroying the bacteria present in the urine. This technology developed by NASA has been used by astronauts on missions for many years. It is also found in ÖKO brand water bottles available to the general public.
7. A natural toothpaste to whiten teeth
We have known since Roman times that urine contains a high concentration of ammonia, paradoxically capable of fighting against yellow teeth… A little pee on your toothbrush, and onward to a tonic brushing morning, noon and evening!
8. An effective acne treatment?
Failing to save the planet, urine could at least save your skin. In any case, this is what an American keen on naturopathy thinks who already recommended in 2015 to dab acne pimples with a cotton ball soaked in pee in order to dry it out. Still according to her, urine would also cure psoriasis and eczema. A miracle treatment that has since screamed dermatologists who remind us that contrary to popular belief, pee is not sterile and can contain a host of bacteria and other germs that are harmful to the skin.
9. Hair coloring
During the Renaissance, prostitutes who bleached their hair to obtain a Venetian blond, used a mixture composed of human and horse urine mixed with some natural pigments. They then coated their hair and left everything exposed to the sun for a few hours. A slightly disgusting solution, but effective.