US researchers are investigating ways to extract the gold and precious metals from human faeces.
The group identified gold in waste from American sewage treatment plants at levels which if found in rock could be worth mining.
Details were outlined at the 249th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Denver.
Extracting metals from the waste could also help curb the release of toxic substances into the environment.
“The gold we found was at the level of a minimal mineral deposit,” said co-author Dr Kathleen Smith, from the US Geological Survey (USGS).
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