Technology developed at the University of the West of England (UWE) (www.uwe.ac.uk) that uses urine to power fuel cells is to be commercialised, thanks to funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Pee Power project uses urine to fuel microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that generate electricity.

Since its launch in 2011, the technology has been used for applications such as charging mobile phones and generating electricity for lighting.

Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, director of the Bristol Bio-energy Centre at UWE Bristol, said: “It is a great achievement for the team to be selected for this funding, and now we are excited about the potential to take this work forward. It really can make a positive change for underprivileged people living in difficult circumstances.

"We know that the next crucial stage — taking the research forward to product and manufacture — is full of challenges. The funding will help us navigate through this maze, so that we can see the work being applied in the way that we have been envisioning for years.”