London, Apr 7 (IANS): A new invention, being funded by billionaire Bill Gates, aims to turn used toilet water into drinking water, a British nanotechnology expert says.

According to Manchester University's Sarah Haigh, the invention could make waste water from toilets safe to drink, the Daily Mail reported.

She believes a new range of materials could extract energy from human waste.

The innovation could transform the lives of millions of people in the Third World.

The researcher says, even if the result may not be bottled mineral water but it could be the difference between life-and-death in regions without clean water.

She said: "I get a lot of comments about the research I do. I don't mind people making jokes as long as they're clean ones.

"There has been a lot of research into biofuels. There is a lot of energy already present in human waste. Nano-scale materials mean that you can harvest the hydrogen and turn it into hydrozene - which is basically rocket fuel."