Bristol/West of England - Power stream

Music festivals of the future could be partly powered by the urine from on-site revellers if university researchers reach their goal. Scientists at the Bristol Robotic Laboratory, a research facility set up by the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol, are looking at how microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacterial cultures to break down waste and create power. Ioannis Ieropoulos, a research Fellow at the lab, said MFCs had been fed with rotten fruit, grass clippings and dead flies in the past in an attempt to find the best "food source". He added that preliminary tests showed that urine was a "very effective" alternative, and could be used to create a portable urinal that turns waste water into power.