Environmental control and management against climatic change influence on human life have been the major concern of environmentalists and scientists across the globe. African countries are not left out in these challenges.

In Nigeria, Lead City High School, Ibadan, Oyo State has been in the vanguard of promoting healthy environment in the country.

According to  the Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists (JETS) Club Coordinator in the school, Mr. Lawrence Omoyemi, over the years, the school has been working together with the students to comply with the United Nation’s campaign  on sustaining the environment, making it conducive for human living.

“One of our observations was based on Geo-scientist’s prediction that very soon, hydro carbon energy would go into extinction. We then resolved to embark on a research to source for hydro carbon energy alternative from plants.  This is how the school came about lemon and potato batteries which can be used to power domestic appliances,” he said.

One of the research team members of the project, Master Adebisi Toye-Abdul, an SSS III student of the school, explained the procedure of lemon and potato batteries research to WhizzKidsz.

According to him, electric power generation is of great importance to the technological development and economic growth of a nation.  He stressed further that sources of generating electric power include water, gas and coal. He, however, said  that research was being conducted on the viability of plant materials as sources of electricity by the college, saying that, the construction of batteries from lemon and potato is the contribution of the School’s JETS club to environmental pollution control in the country.

Explaining the principles he said: “A battery is made up of two, or more electro-chemical cells.  An electro-chemical cell converts chemical energy to electrical energy.  It consists of two metals with different electrode potentials, or metal and non-metal that is inserted into an electrolyte by donating electrons, which flow through the wire to the metal with lower potential, or the non-metal.  So, the continuous flow of electron is the electricity generated.

“These principles are applied in constructing batteries from lemon and potato.  The juice from lemon and potato paste contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

The acid reacts with an electro-positive metal such as zinc to produce electrons and liberates hydrogen gas.  The copper metal which has a lower electrode potential is used to sustain continuous flow of electrons through the wire connected between the zinc and copper metals.

“Our materials include lemon fruits, potato tubers, zinc metal, copper metal insulated copper wire beaker, knife to peal the potato and grinder.

We squeezed the lemon to obtain the juice, and peel and grind potato tubers.  We then grind the lemon juice and potato paste into the beakers.

Then, we dip the zinc and copper metals inside the lemon juice in each of the beakers.  We connect the metals  apart from inside the first zinc metal and the last copper  metal in series from one beaker  to another.

“We connect the first zinc metal and the last copper metal to the wall clock.  The battery generates 2.8 voltage, which successfully-powered the wall clock. The greater the quantity of these materials, the greater the power it can generate to power  domestic appliances,” Toye-abdul said.

The principal of the school, Mr. Adegboyega Tadese, who described Lead City High School as an holistic institution and learning centre, stated that “by this research, we found out that there are many alternative sources of generating electricity.  The government should therefore put an appropriate policy in place for the effective utilisation of these resources. Moreover, power generating problem will become a thing of the past in Nigeria.  The experiment is also useful in the teaching of electro-chemical cell in chemistry and physics.” He, describing Lead City High School as a school where a child can discover and develop his or her potentials.

Speaking about the research and the college, he says that people’s view of science can be classified into static and dynamic views.

His word: “In many schools, students are exposed more to chalk science rather than laboratory-based science. In this regard,  the science class becomes history class, where scientific truths, knowledge and facts are poured into the students.  But science is dynamic, based on observing, hypothesizing, and experimenting.