BY: MATTHEW CHIN
Could man’s best friend also be our homes’ main energy supply?
Océane Izard, a Geneva School student studying her masters in Spaces and Communication is working on making that possible.
Izard designed a product whimsically entitled Poo-Poo Power that converts a dog’s poo into electricity. After personally conducting a survey on the issue of dog feces lying on the sidewalks, she realized that the feces of a dog can be converted into a desirable resource.
Océane Izard designed a product that can utilize the bacteria from dog poop and convert it into an electric current:
In light of a law amendment in France viewing animals more as conscious living beings and not movable property, Izard conducted a study on the effects of dog feces and realized that when dog waste is left on the ground, the poo can seep into the ground, killing the surrounding grass and potentially contaminating groundwater.
Dog feces contain about 23 million microorganisms of bacteria, which is twice that of human waste, and Izard plans to utilize that bacteria in her contraption that turns the bacteria into an electric current used to charge the four batteries at the base of the unit, according to Dezeen Magazine. The four fuel cells can detach and be used as an outlet to plug devices in. The degradation process takes about a full day.
This is how it works:
The prototype is still a mere design, but the same technology is used to power streetlights in San Francisco, and in Britain there is a bus that is powered by human waste, according to Fast Company. About 250-340 grams of feces is the typical amount a dog produces daily, and is enough to power a fan for two hours.
In an article by Fast Company, Izard says, “If we had six to seven dogs per person, it would generate enough poo to take us off the grid.”
250-340 grams of feces is the typical amount a dog produces daily, and is enough to power a fan for two hours.
Sources: wordpress.com, fastcompany.net, dailymail.co.uk
