Phytomining, sometimes called agromining,[1] is the concept of extracting heavy metals from the soil using plants.[2] Unlike phytoremediation, where extraction is proposed for cleaning up environmental pollutants, phytomining is for the purpose of gathering the metals for economic use.[3]
Phytomining exploits the existence of hyperaccumulator plants which naturally have proteins or compounds that bind with certain metal ions. Once the hyperaccumulation happens, the final metal, or bio-ore, needs to be refined from the plant matter.[4] A 2021 review concluded that the commercial viability of phytomining was "limited"[1] because it is a slow and inefficient process.
History
Phytomining was first proposed in 1983 by Rufus Chaney, a USDA agronomist.[5] He and Alan Baker, a University of Melbourne professor, first tested it in 1996.[5] They, as well as Jay Scott Angle and Yin-Ming Li, filed a patent on the process in 1995 which expired in 2015.[6]
Advantages
Phytomining would, in principle, cause minimal environmental effects compared to mining.[2] Phytomining could also remove low-grade heavy metals from mine waste.[4]
Commercialization
Several startups are investigating the process for mining surface-available heavy metals. In 2025, Genomines received 45 million dollars of Series A funding to commercialize nickel phytomining from mine tailings.[7] The French company Econick and the Albanian company MetalPlant both have nickel phytomining projects. As of mid-2024, MetalPlant had extracted less than a kilo of usable nickel, using Odontarrhena plants.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b Dang, P.; Li, C. (2022-12-01). "A mini-review of phytomining". International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 19 (12): 12825–12838. Bibcode:2022JEST...1912825D. doi:10.1007/s13762-021-03807-z. ISSN 1735-2630.
- ^ a b Brooks, Robert R; Chambers, Michael F; Nicks, Larry J; Robinson, Brett H (1998-09-01). "Phytomining". Trends in Plant Science. 3 (9): 359–362. Bibcode:1998TPS.....3..359B. doi:10.1016/S1360-1385(98)01283-7. ISSN 1360-1385.
- ^ Linacre, J. Scott Angle and Nicholas A. (2005). Ecological Risks of Novel Environmental Crop Technologies Using Phytoremediation as an Example. Intl Food Policy Res Inst.
- ^ a b "Leaders of the energy transition are calling for a sustainable source of critical metals – is phytomining the answer?". smi.uq.edu.au. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ a b Morse, Ian (2020-02-26). "Down on the Farm That Harvests Metal From Plants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ US5711784A, Chaney, Rufus L.; Angle, Jay Scott & Baker, Alan J. M. et al., "Method for phytomining of nickel, cobalt and other metals from soil", issued 1998-01-27
- ^ Peters, Adele (2025-09-19). "This startup grows plants instead of digging mines to extract a critical mineral". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2025-10-10. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
- ^ Dinneen, James (4 July 2024). "Flower farm could supply nickel for electric vehicle batteries". New Scientist. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
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