A single bio-brick takes about 25 to 30 liters of urine to grow, according to Randall, which is the equivalent of about 100 bathroom trips for an average person.
By ET Bureau |
Did you know that your urine can be used to make a brick? Yes, a brick that can one day be used to construct a house. Researchers at the University of Cape Town in South Africa had found a way to do this.
Dyllon Randall, a senior lecturer in water quality engineering at the university, and his team placed portable urinals in men’s rooms around the campus to capture pee. Then, using a three-step process, they used the urine to make bricks.
Bio-bricks are about as hard as limestone bricks. Unlike kiln-fired bricks that need to be heated to about 1,400 degrees Celsius, they produce no carbon dioxide while they set at room temperature.
A single bio-brick takes about 25 to 30 liters of urine to grow, according to Randall, which is the equivalent of about 100 bathroom trips for an average person. Randall told the BBC that the partially formed bricks produce a smell akin to a pet peeing in a corner. However, within about 48 hours, the smell dissipates. “What we do last is take the remaining liquid product from the bio-brick process and make a second fertiliser,” Randall said.
Turning pee into what Randall dubs “liquid gold” will also require navigating some logistical hurdles, such as developing sustainable methods of collecting and transporting human urine. The project is in its infancy, and encouraging public acceptance of bio-bricks will be another challenge. But that’s a worry for another day.
