An innovative project by four Nigerian teenage girls, which went viral after being showcased at the annual Maker Faire Africa event in Lagos, has continued to inspire the global conversation around alternative energy sources. The project, a generator that can produce electricity using just one liter of urine, was a direct response to the dangers of conventional generators and the country’s persistent energy challenges.
The four girls—Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and Bello Eniola—were just 14 and 15 years old at the time of their invention in 2012. Motivated by a news story about a family who died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a conventional generator, they set out to create a safer, more sustainable power source.
Their invention is not a true generator in the traditional sense but rather a system that uses urine to produce hydrogen gas, which then acts as a fuel for a generator. The process is a clever series of steps:
- Electrolysis: Urine is poured into an electrolytic cell, where a chemical reaction separates the hydrogen from the other compounds. The girls discovered that urine’s chemical composition makes this process more efficient than using water.
- Purification: The hydrogen gas is passed through a water filter for purification.
- Moisture Removal: The purified gas is then pushed through a cylinder containing liquid borax, which removes moisture.
- Power Generation: This clean, dry hydrogen gas is finally fed into a conventional gas-powered generator, which runs on the hydrogen as fuel.
The girls claimed their system could produce up to six hours of electricity from a single liter of urine. While the technology is a promising proof of concept, experts have noted that the overall energy balance is negative, meaning the system requires more electricity to operate than it generates. However, the invention’s primary value lies in its potential to create a safer energy source by eliminating the need for carbon-based fuels and reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The project, which earned the team the nickname “The Fantastic Four,” was praised for its ingenuity and its focus on a practical, local problem. It remains a powerful symbol of young innovation in Africa, inspiring a new generation of inventors to tackle environmental and social challenges with creative solutions.
