The everyday liquid that could fuel China’s race to green car targets

Researchers have found a way to power electric vehicles using an abundant substance found wherever people and animals live

The scientists in China and Australia have developed a catalyst which uses urea to generate efficient, clean energy

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Many electric cars are powered by lithium batteries but some researchers are working on other energy sources. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:33pm, 24 Sep 2021Updated: 10:50pm, 24 Sep 2021

Scientists in China and Australia have developed a catalyst which uses urea-loaded waste water to efficiently generate clean energy, paving the way for low-cost portable fuel cells that work like batteries.

Fuel cells, which have been used to power electric vehicles, are a clean source of electricity. They produce power through an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen with oxygen, generating heat and water as by-products.

The new technique oxidises urea – an abundant substance in human and animal urine which is also found in factory waste water. The researchers found they could speed up the process of obtaining hydrogen from water and use it to power fuel cells.

The technique also reduces the amount of urea in waste water, which otherwise could break down into ammonia and cause acid rain if released into the environment without treatment.

The researchers, from Anhui University, the University of Science and Technology of China, and the University of Adelaide in Australia, published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Energy on Monday.

“It requires less energy and could also reduce the urea content of waste water. This work opens a new avenue to develop alternative electrocatalysts for urea oxidation reactions with a boosted activity and stability,” they wrote.

Co-author Chen Ping, a professor at Anhui University’s school of materials science and engineering, said the technique could be applied anywhere human and animal urine can be collected.