- Experimenting with various materials, the girls drew inspiration from rocket engines powered by hydrogen.
- Their breakthrough came when they realized they could use urine as a readily available raw material.
Four teenage girls from Nigeria have invented a generator that can generate six hours of electricity using just one liter of urine. The girls, Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and Bello Eniola, showcased their creation at the Maker Faire Africa event in Lagos.
While the concept of using urine as a fuel source wasn’t new, these girls devised a practical implementation that could benefit many households. Adebola, aged 14, was inspired to explore alternative power sources after reading about a tragic incident where a family died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to generator fumes.
Motivated to prevent similar tragedies, Adebola discussed the idea with her friends Abiola, Oluwatoyin, and Eniola, all aged 14 and 15. Together, they formed the “Fantastic Four” and embarked on developing a solution. They shared their idea with their science teacher, Olaide Lawal, who encouraged them to pursue it.
Experimenting with various materials, the girls drew inspiration from rocket engines powered by hydrogen. They reasoned that if hydrogen was used as the raw material in their generator, the end product would be water. However, they encountered challenges with using water due to its low hydrogen content.
Their breakthrough came when they realized they could use urine as a readily available raw material that could generate the necessary power for domestic activities. They constructed a system comprising an electrolytic cell, an old car battery, filters, pipes, and a gas storage tank to facilitate the process.
“We then reconfigured our petrol-based generator and carried out our first experiment – and then we faced another huge challenge as the cell exploded,” the girls said.
“We kept on checking our process and setup until Mr. Lawal pointed out our error: The hydrogen-oxygen gas mixture was returning to the cell. We then inserted one-way valves into the pipes to ensure a one-directional flow of the gas mixture, and it worked,” they added.
Initially, when the Fantastic Four publicly showcased their invention, skepticism abounded regarding its efficacy. Undeterred, they persevered, refining their creation. Their breakthrough came when they once again exhibited their invention at the Maker Faire Africa in 2012, garnering significant national attention.
Since then, the Fantastic Four have received numerous national and international accolades for their urine-powered generators. The Lagos State government has also shown interest in funding the development of the invention for widespread household use.
The teenage innovators expressed their gratitude to Doregos Private Academy, their school, for providing financial support, transportation, and moral encouragement to pursue their vision.
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