Mobile Phones To Be Powered Using Bacteria From Human Poo – Study

           Bio batteries working on faeces could soon be used to power a future generation of mobile phones, British scientists claim.

The study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) found a natural process that occurs within the bacteria found in poop, that could help develop ‘bio batteries’. There is hope that such kind of batteries could produce energy for smartphones, mobiles, tablets, laptops, etc.

According to researchers, both human and animal waste contains bacteria, which ‘breathe’ minerals of iron – much like we breathe oxygen. During this ‘breathing’ process an electrical charge is released as a side effect. The charge is released from the cell, similar to the neutral wire in a household plug, and can then be harnessed.

Lead researcher Julea Butt said, “These bacteria can generate electricity in the right environment. This is an exciting advance in our understanding of how some bacterial species move electrons from the inside to the outside of a cell and helps us understand their behaviour as robust electron transfer modules.”