Urine as a cleaning solution

Diesel spills are no fun. You lose grip, end up on your butt and not only wreck your bike, you end up soaked in dirty derv.

But things can get worse. A Dutch lab thinks it’s a good idea to incorporate the ingredients of pee in diesel. Charmed, we’re sure.

TNO specialises in emission reduction technology and is experimenting with lorries powered by diesel mixed with uric acid, the main ingredient in your morning sample.

It would cost forecourts around £1000 each to modify their diesel pumps to suit but, with stringent new emissions laws looming in 2005 – and catalytic converters already proven to be useless in dealing with pollution from lorries – it could be a realistic solution.

Experts believe adding urine can cut certain harmful diesel emissions by up to 80 per cent.

Soon there could be a lot of lorry and car drivers taking the pee. No change there then.