Now I have heard of fools gold ....
But not bums gold!
However it has been found that the sewage from a city of a million people contains about $13m (£8.66m) worth of metal a year, and that about a fifth of the value comes from silver and gold excreted by that cities residents.
Researchers from Arizona State University analysed sewage sludge, which is the grey neutralised stuff left behind after treating raw sewage in a treatment plant, with a mass spectrometer, and found that a city of a million people gives out $13 million worth of metal annually — and $2.6 million of it is silver and gold. A city in Japan collected nearly 2 kg of gold in every metric ton of the ash left after burning its sewage sludge.
Now all this instantly brought to mind images of Harry King, aka 'Piss Harry' ... King of the Golden River, who in the Disc World novels, makes his living as the recycling king of Ankh-Morpork. His men are "night soil" removals specialists, emptying the chamber pots of Ankh-Morpork for a fee.
He also collects the rubbish from around the city and the river, selling the by products such as saltpetre and ammonia to alchemists, urine and faeces to tanners and farmers, lost valuables to the pawn brokers, etc.
If he had known about missing out on the the gold and silver from the cities backsides, he would most certainly have been really pissed off.
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| Golden Backsides Don't Guarantee Bums Gold |
But not bums gold!
However it has been found that the sewage from a city of a million people contains about $13m (£8.66m) worth of metal a year, and that about a fifth of the value comes from silver and gold excreted by that cities residents.
Researchers from Arizona State University analysed sewage sludge, which is the grey neutralised stuff left behind after treating raw sewage in a treatment plant, with a mass spectrometer, and found that a city of a million people gives out $13 million worth of metal annually — and $2.6 million of it is silver and gold. A city in Japan collected nearly 2 kg of gold in every metric ton of the ash left after burning its sewage sludge.
 |
| Piss Harry Would Be Really Pissed Off To Miss All That Gold And Silver |
Now all this instantly brought to mind images of Harry King, aka 'Piss Harry' ... King of the Golden River, who in the Disc World novels, makes his living as the recycling king of Ankh-Morpork. His men are "night soil" removals specialists, emptying the chamber pots of Ankh-Morpork for a fee.
He also collects the rubbish from around the city and the river, selling the by products such as saltpetre and ammonia to alchemists, urine and faeces to tanners and farmers, lost valuables to the pawn brokers, etc.
If he had known about missing out on the the gold and silver from the cities backsides, he would most certainly have been really pissed off.
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