I am conflicted. I want this to the future, and I also do not.
Ohio University's Geradine Botte, has demonstrated that "the most abundant waste on earth" can produce hydrogen with less than half the energy need with water. “During the electrochemical process the urea gets adsorbed on to the nickel electrod= surface, which passes the electrons needed to break up the molecule,” said Botte. The breakthrough comes in urine's constituent "urea." In which 4 loosely bonded hydrogen atoms are present per molecule. The required energy to break the molecule of Urea is 0.37V, while water needs 1.23V to split.
Botte wants to upscale the idea to be used in treating waste water. I wonder if Newcastle University included this sizeable volume of waste water in their calculations.
See more at the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Chemical Communications.
Eavesdropper
image via RSC Publishing