scientist claim to have shown that human waste can be used as a fuel safely , which could make it a viable source of fuel in certain nation .

Published in theJournal of Cleaner Production , the study was lead by the Ben - Gurion University of the Negev ( BGU ) in Israel . Using a pressure cooker , the team said they were able-bodied to convert excrement into hydrochar , a safe and reusable biomass fuel that resemble charcoal .

“ Human excreta are reckon wild due to their potentiality to channel disease , " tell study co - author Professor Amit Gross from BGU in astatement . “ While it is rich in organic matter , nutrients such as nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium , human waste product also turn back micropollutants from pharmaceuticals , which can lead to environmental problems if not disposed or re - used by rights . ”

In their study , the squad used hydrothermal carbonisation ( HTC ) to wake the waste to up to 240 ° C ( 460 ° fluorine ) for up to two minute . This caused the waste to become desiccated , produce hydrochar , which is both combustible and nutrient - full-bodied , meaning it can be used as fuel and fertilizer . The process also sterilizes the hydrochar , making it safe to handle .

About2.3 billion peoplein the world miss canonical sanitation , which includes 892 million people that ca-ca in the open . Some of these neighborhood also have to deal with a scarceness of energy .

Many use unanimous biomass like wood , converted into charcoal , for cookery and heat . However , these have a significant atomic number 6 footprint , whereas human waste could offer a cleaner alternative . In theory , hydrochar could be used to heat dwelling and in cookery , with its liquid byproduct utilitarian as a fertilizer .

" By process human waste material decent , we can address both of these matter [ energy and waste ] at once , " Professor Gross said .

Similar inquiry was conducted by BGU last year on the body waste of turkey and other fowl . The team ascertain the best results come from cooking the dejection while it was blotto at high temperature and gamey pressure , like in a pressure cooker .

“ Their ultimate goal is to attempt to roast a bird with their homemade hydrochar , and corrode it   afterwards , ” notedNPR . “ Once made , the hydrochar does n’t breathe any mephitis   – it even has a pleasant aroma ! ”

Lovely stuff .