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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

An iron grip could help pee to produce electricity

Catalyst based on nickel and iron allows electrical current to be harvested from the breakdown of urea.
three urinals in a row against a tiled wall

Reactions that break down urea, one of the primary components of urine, can produce an electrical current. Credit: Getty

A catalyst containing nickel and iron can degrade the main waste product from urine to generate electricity and harmless by-products1.

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Nature 597, 596 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02559-7

References

  1. Geng, S.-K. et al. Nature Energ. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00899-2 (2021).

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