Nobody care to think about toilet newspaper publisher after it has “ done its business ” , but thankfully chemists at the University of Amsterdam ( UvA ) have done the ill-gotten work , only to discover it ’s not receive the credit it ’s due . We do n’t treat waste potty paper very nicely , yet it ’s still a copious and complimentary source of carbon . Those in Western Europe flush up to 14 kilograms ( 30 pound sign ) of this stuff and nonsense down the drainage every individual year ( Americans blush even more ) . So could it have any worthwhile value as an energy root ?
As explain in the journalEnergy Technology , the team of researcher from UvA developed a theoretical way of converting waste toilet newspaper publisher into electricity through a comparatively wide-eyed two - gradation process . Using their model , they believe it is potential to power 6,400 homes a yr using Amsterdam ’s yearly use of toilet curlicue ( which is around 10,000 tons , by the way ) .
Toilet newspaper is just a sheet of 80 percent cellulose directly from a tree , so the energy is effectively renewable . What ’s more , it ’s totally barren and consumer could , in theory , actually be paid to have it take on off them . Paid to poop , in effect .
The process converts the constitutional carboniferous materials of toilet paper into carbon monoxide , H , and atomic number 6 dioxide . Then , high - temperature solid oxide fuel cells are used to flat convert the gas into electricity .
The overall electrical efficiency of this cognitive operation could be around 57 percent , which is like to a natural gas combined cycle industrial plant . The price of electricity would be approximately ¢20.3 / kWh , which is about the same as current residential solar - panel installations .
“ When we discuss these solvent with party , the great unwashed get very excited , " said Professor Gadi Rothenberg from the UvA in astatement .
Of naturally , for now , this is all Proto-Indo European in the sky dream . However , the inquiry team hope their model could be used elsewhere alfresco of the Netherlands . While the capital costs are still fairly high due to fuel cell costs , this would decrease over clip as the market exposit .
“ We might see the first WTP - to - electrical energy plant life being build in China , " add Rothenberg .
