A Chennai-based young scientist claims that it is possible to generate electricity from elephant’s urine. MG Gireeshan (30), who has post-graduation in electronics and is working as a scientist at Bharat University says electricity could be generated by deploying microbial fuel cell technology (MFCT) to generate power from the urine of elephant.
Gireeshan, who has around 150 scientific inventions to his credit, says he could generate 3.5 volt power from 200 ml of elephant urine. “I operated an lED bulb and a buzzer out of this power. Please do not ridicule me. It is possible to operate an inverter with electricity generated from 50 litre elephant urine. A 12 volt battery sufficient to operate four lamps as well as four fans for two days could be powered with 50 litre elephant urine,” Gireeshan told The Pioneer.
This physicist is yet to understand the chemistry behind the elephant urine which leads to power generation. “I came across an article which mentions that electricity could be generated from cow’s urine. This prompted me to work on elephant urine. What I have found is that we can produce more electricity from elephant's urine,” he said.
One needs an anode and cathode which act as electrodes. “The elephant urine is the electrolyte. When the electrodes are inserted into the urine sample, it undergoes electrolysis generating power,” Gireeshan explained.
TCR Nambiar, chief physician of the 59 elephants in Guruvayur Devaswom of Kerala is thrilled by Gireeshan's claim. “I never knew the
elephant urine has this power. I would like to take up this innovation to find out whether we can produce power from the urine of the elephants in our stable,” said Nambiar.
Nambiar agreed with Gireeshan’s argument that an elephant produces 50 litres urine per day. “A pachyderm drinks 150 to 200 litres of water every day. Hence we can get 50 litres of urine from each elephant,” he said.
The commercial viability of maintaining an elephant has to be worked out. According to Nambiar, elephants command a premium. “There are instances of an elephant being sold for Rs 1.5 crore. Hence how far this would help us in producing cheap energy has to be debated,” he said.
Gireeshan has developed many innovations, the important one being a system which closes and opens unmanned railway level crosses. “The system will ensure that the gate at the unmanned level cross closes by itself five minutes before the train passes the stretch. The gate will open immediately after the train crossing the unmanned gate,” said Gireeshan.
The scientist says he is willing to offer this technology to the Indian Railways free of cost. There are 12,500 unmanned level crossings in the country and 40 per cent of the rail accidents are due to these unmanned crossings.