Japanese Prefecture Finds Gold in Sewage

A sewage treatment facility in central Japan is currently unexpectedly engaged in the gold prospecting business, following recent discoveries that show that the sewerage it processes carries a gold density higher than that of most profitable mines in the entire country. Officials at the site say that they have recovered some 2 kilograms of gold per tonne of waste, whereas the top-producing mines only recover 20 to 40 grams per tonne through mountain excavations and other dangerous operations.

The Suwa facility is located in the Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Workers at the facility say that the large amount of ore they uncover probably comes from countless high-tech industrial facilities nearby, which use significant quantities of the precious metal for various components in their products. Precision equipment manufacturers then discard unused materials or other substances, which reach Suwa for decontamination. But now, the facility is actively engaged in recovering the gold, and selling it back to the state.

The prefecture is set to receive some 5 million yen ($55,810) for the gold it has collected thus far, and plans are that any other amounts it will recover will also be sent to the central authorities. People at Suwa say that the money will undoubtedly keep flowing, as the only thing that could stop them from recovering the gold would be a total shut-down of the entire area, which is of vital importance for the Japanese economy.

By the end of this fiscal year, prefecture authorities estimate that they will receive some 15 million yen from the gold they recover from incinerated sludge. On the other hand, it's vital for Japan to buy these quantities, because the deepening economic turmoil already prompts an ever-increasing price for the precious mineral, and everyone with liquidities on the global market is currently buying as much as possible. This year, the cost of one ounce of gold is expected to move past the $1,030 mark, set in 2008.