rooster59 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 South Africans make bricks from human urine By Wendell Roelf Dr Dyllon Randall holds a bio-brick made from urine at the University of Cape Town, in Cape Town, South Africa November 2, 2018. The odourless, grey prototype brick was grown in a mould in the lab over eight days and is the final product in a process that also produces fertilisers. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African researchers say they have made bricks using human urine in a natural process involving colonies of bacteria, which could one day help reduce global warming emissions by finding a productive use for the ultimate waste product. The grey bricks are produced in a lab over eight days using urine, calcium, sand and bacteria. Fertilizers are also produced during the processes. And no, the bricks do not smell. The bricks are made using urea -- a chemical found naturally in urine and also synthesized around the world to make fertilizer. The process of growing bricks from urea has been tested in the United States with synthetic solutions, but the new brick uses real human urine for the first time, the researchers said. "We literally pee this away every day and flush it through the sewer networks," said Dyllon Randall, a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town's civil engineering department who is part of the team that developed the brick. "Why not recover this instead and make multiple products?" The bio-bricks are created through a process called microbial induced carbonate precipitation, which is similar to the process that naturally produces coral reefs. Loose sand is colonised with bacteria that produce the enzyme urease. The enzyme breaks down the urea in urine, while producing the rocky substance calcium carbonate through a complex chemical reaction. A brick or column of any shape can be made. The bricks are formed at room temperature, cutting the harmful carbon dioxide emitted when making regular bricks that are kiln-fired. One obstacle preventing mass production: the bricks use huge amounts of pee. To make a single brick requires about 20 litres of urine - a couple of weeks' worth of wee for a typical adult. "So, I get it from the boys bathroom opposite the laboratory. I put a little sign up and all the university boys contribute to my research," said Suzanne Lambert, who proved the concept for the research by making the first brick. "I definitely see commercialisation in the next decade or two, but there is still a lot of lab work to be done," she said. -- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-03 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post theguyfromanotherforum Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 I'm $hitting bricks myself 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bluesofa Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 I can see it now: Guy caught pissing up the side of a house at night. Police try to charge him. "But officer, I'm working nights rebuilding the wall." 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ezzra Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 I can't wait for the futur techology of shitbricks houses under the guise of being a 'biobricks', it will give a new meaning to living in shithouse... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post keith101 Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 8 Days to make 1 pathetic looking brick why waste time on this piss poor effort . 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thakkar Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 This development is a dream come true for Trump. He can hire Russian prostitutes to Build The Wall—he gets a twofer! The Golden Shower Wall is coming, folks. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
how241 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 5 hours ago, theguyfromanotherforum said: I'm $hitting bricks myself Good one !!! ha ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janclaes47 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 5 hours ago, rooster59 said: One obstacle preventing mass production: the bricks use huge amounts of pee. To make a single brick requires about 20 litres of urine - a couple of weeks' worth of wee for a typical adult. So in other words, lot of research and taxpayers money wasted on another useless experiment 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenslegs Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) The Munchkins came up with this process decades ago ... ... and used the bricks to make roads. Edited November 3, 2018 by chickenslegs 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nauseus Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 This story must be a piss take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailand Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Extracting the urine! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivor bigun Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Time to go ime pissed off nowSent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foexie Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 That's a very big kidney stone 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camble Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 In Chiang Mai, they make paper from elephant dung http://www.poopoopaperpark.com/en/content/11/about-the-park 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtrnuno41 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Good idea. Many scientists are working with human waste to make something work. Human waste is also very good fertilizer and we have more than 8 billion people, so that is a lot of pee & poo you can use. We should use our, any products more and more over and over again, we have the technology. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poanoi Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 thats nothing, chinese boils eggs in piss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger70 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Piss poor performance I would say. Using piss calcium urea sand and wait 8 days. there's a lot cheaper and faster way,,,, Get clay bake it, done in a couple hrs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quandow Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whip Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 3:33 PM, janclaes47 said: So in other words, lot of research and taxpayers money wasted on another useless experiment That's academia for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Dude Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 South Africa is slowly, but surely, going down the toilet. Once Mandela was gone it was a gradual total screw-up with the ANC and it has slowly gone down the tubes. African countries seem incapable of running their countries properly to the benefit of all not to mention democracy. So many examples to back up this statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melvinmelvin Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 8 minutes ago, Sir Dude said: South Africa is slowly, but surely, going down the toilet. Once Mandela was gone it was a gradual total screw-up with the ANC and it has slowly gone down the tubes. African countries seem incapable of running their countries properly to the benefit of all not to mention democracy. So many examples to back up this statement. dunno there are spots of improvement in sub Sahara, the old Portuguese colonies are doing not too bad English works there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burma Bill Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 5:41 PM, camble said: In Chiang Mai, they make paper from elephant dung http://www.poopoopaperpark.com/en/content/11/about-the-park Yes indeed - I have a photograph album made of it which I purchased near Lampang. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivor bigun Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 In Chiang Mai, they make paper from elephant dung http://www.poopoopaperpark.com/en/content/11/about-the-park Yes when our son went on an elephant ride we got his picture in a frame made from it.Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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