Scientific research is all about improving lives. In
Nigeria today and indeed, most parts of Africa,
power supply is a big issue and researchers are
busy looking for alternatives to carbon-based
fuel
due to all its shortcomings. So in 2012/13, the
quartet of Duro-Aina Adebola, Bello Eniola,
Akindele Abiola and Faleke Oluwatoyin – all
students of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja,
Lagos, came up with urine-powered generator,
they were applauded the world over.
Although people
liked the urine-
powered
generator but
they
complained of
the urine odour
so the trio of
Oluwatomisin
Osibote,
Kpakpando
Akaeze and
Eveshorhema Samuel-Alli, all 14-year-old SS2
students of same school, improved on the work
of
thier predecessors, replacing the urine with waste
oil and water to come up with the 2WP Tri-
powered generator which won them $6,000
scholarship, a bronze medal and $150 cash at the
2014 Intel International Science and Engineering
Fair held in Los Angeles, USA.
This invention also won them the National
Science Fair and Quiz competition held in Uyo,
Akwa Ibom State with a 76.4 aggregate score. In
this chat with Vanguard Learning, the three
spoke on the reason for embarking on the
project . Excerpts br /> BY EBELE ORAKPO
THE project: According to Oluwatomisin
Osibote,
“Our aim was to achieve the goal of creating a
cheap and sustainable energy source for homes
and businesses which does not release carbon
monoxide.”
Kpakpando Akaeze: “The tri-powered generator
is
like an evolutionary technology from the urine-
powered generator made by our seniors. (See
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/research-
devt-four-nigerian-students-generate-electricity-
from-urine/).
“The urine-powered generator was created by
four girls in this school who thought of how to
stop carbon monoxide (CO) from destroying the
ecosystem and save lives and also generate free
electricity without any obnoxious substances
being released. Some people complained about
the odour of the urine. Even when we tried to
suppress it with chemicals like sodium carbonate
or sea shells, the odour was still there so we tried
to look for other ways to create a generator that
works on waste.”
Fuel from waste oil and water
Continues Akaeze: “Rather than looking for other
ways to suppress the urine odour, we came up
with the tri-powered generator which can work
on
waste oil, ionized water or urine. Waste oil is the
black oil that is removed from vehicles when
they
are being serviced. It is processed into butane
and propane gases which are then used to power
the generator.
“In our quest to get something similar but
different from urine, we came up with the idea of
using ionized water.
The principle br /> “Since the urine-powered
generator was created
through the principle of electrolysis, we also used
the same principle to create the tri-powered
generator. Urine is a metabolic waste from the
body while waste oil and ionized water are
mechanical wastes from vehicles and other
machines. Now, ionized water consists of 96 per
cent water, 2 per cent Sodium Tetraoxosulphate
(VI) and 2 per cent Sodium Trioxonitrate (V).
We chose those substances because when we
were making the ionized water, we tried using
sodium chloride (table salt) but because of the
presence of chlorine in the salt, it corroded and
destroyed the engine and the generator was
damaged, so we looked for other salts that would
ionize the water. That was how we got the two
salts together,” said Akaeze.
Household urine
On how they had intended getting enough urine
to power generators for industrial use,
Eveshorhema Samuel-Alli said: “Actually, that
was why we had to improve on what our
predecessors did. It is much easier to make
ionized water using the two salts and water. So
this will be much easier for companies that would
want to use the generator to produce their own
salts and sell to the public and also for household
use. They can use their own household urine and
if they prefer to use the salts, they could do so
too. The ionized water is an alternative to the
urine.
Improvisation br /> Said Osibote: “We were
trying to make the urine
and ionized water chambers more portable so
they can be lifted with one hand. The initial ones
we made were really difficult to carry. We went
to GE Garage in Ikoyi where we met with some
Americans travelling round the world helping
countries and teaching them how to use some
technologies. Surprisingly, they looked up our
project and thought they could help us, so we got
some help from them. They made the catalytic
and ionized water chambers in circular forms
which were placed on a shelf thus making it
easier to carry.”
Refilling the urine chamber br /> “Many people
have been asking how we are
going to be refilling the urine-powered generator
if it becomes popular. The urine-powered
generator is not the same as the fossil fuel
generator which can be refilled through a funnel
or pipe. At first when our seniors started the
urine-powered generator, in creating the urine
chamber, they used screwdrivers to open the
chamber so if they want to refill the generator,
they will need screwdrivers and the time to do all
that.
“A parent can leave her children at home and
they may not know how to open the chamber so
we have created a shelf whereby there will be a
pipe connecting the septic tank to the chambers
of the urine-powered generator so when people
urinate in the urinal, the urine will pass directly to
the urine chamber,” said Eveshorhema.
“It will be something like a bowl that will come
along with the generator.
Ït will be placed by the side of the toilet and only
urine will pass through and the urine processing
chamber will suck it in. No water or solid waste
will go in there, just urine, said Osibote.
Comparision
“We had six hours of electricity each from1.83
litres of waste oil and 1.83 litres of ionized water.
But for fossil fuel generators, you need about
two
litres for a maximum of four or five hours of
electricity,” said Akaeze.
The young scientists believe that their work will
go a long way in helping not only Africa but the
world.
Added Osibote: “What it can power depends on
the capacity of the generator and the number of
litres. We decided to use 1.9 KVA generator
because of its portability. We’ve tested it on a
refrigerator and it carried it and it was able to
carry 1,600 watts. If a larger KVA generator is
used, it should be able to carry the whole house.”

Really great from them.

https://www.nairaland.com/1849028/secondary-school-students-generate-electricity#25326792

see link above

Richiez: https://www.nairaland.com/1849028/secondary-school-students-generate-electricity#25326792

see link above

Wats ur P,