London:
Precious metals, primarily gold, worth pounds £13 million (Dh72.6 million) is being flushed away through sewers every year, it has been claimed. Analysis by Thames Water found that the level of gold in sewerage systems was comparable to that found in working mines. Hazel Prichard, a Cardiff University geologist, has been studying precious metals in waste alongside Thames Water, conducting tests in the incinerators that burn off sewage sludge. “We were stunned,” she told The Times. “They were all consistently high in gold.” It was claimed tiny quantities of gold and precious metals are washed down the sink every time someone washes their hands, rubbing wedding rings and jewellery, and every time people with gold teeth brush their teeth. Cars are also said to deposit tiny quantities of platinum in drains from catalytic converters. Dr Prichard said: “It’s one to three parts per million, which is huge. Goldmines are economical at one to three parts per million. The advantage is, it doesn’t need to be mined [or] crushed.” A facility in Tokyo that has started extracting gold from sludge has reported a yield rivalling those found in ore at some gold mines.
