H20 + NaCl = mobile power on the go!

16th March 2015

Peter Smith

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For anyone who cares about the ongoing impact that the consumption of fossil fuels is having on our environment - yet still needs a constantly charged power hungry smartphone - the JAQ charger from myFC looks to be the ideal solution. Widely talked about last week at MWC in Barcelona and due to be launched later this year, JAQ uses a slim 'power card' that contains water and salt.

When the card is inserted into the charger, hydrogen is produced to fuel up the cell and recharge the phone. The idea is you buy a number of power cards and use them when needed. Once inserted into the JAQ charger, a card gives 2400mAh to enable a single Smartphone charge. After use, the power card can be disposed of without any environmental concerns.

It will be really interesting to see the JAQ in action – we’ll get hold of one and report back.

Urine-tricity

If the JAQ wasn’t unusual enough, another interesting way of producing electricity got us looking at the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1^st!!

The Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) has been developed in the UK to power lighting in toilet cubicles in refugee camps and disaster zones. Developed during a joint programme by the University of the West of England in Bristol and Oxfam, the MFC generates electricity from...er… urine. So when you’ve gotta go, you’re gonna glow!

According to research leader Professor Ioannis Leropoulos, the toilet collects the urine in a microbial fuel cell stack that can generate enough electricity to power indoor lighting through a biochemical energy process. The Prof calls it urine-tricity or pee power and he says the technology is about as green as it gets, as there is no need to utilise fossil fuels as the cell is effectively using a waste product that will be in plentiful supply.