Phytomining Explained

Phytomining, sometimes called agromining,^[1] is the concept of extracting heavy metals from the soil using plants.^[2] Specifically, phytomining is for the purpose of economic gain.^[3] The approach exploits the existence of hyperaccumulators, proteins or compounds secreted by plants to bind certain metal ions. These extracted ores are called bio-ores.^[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. 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. Phytomining could also remove low-grade heavy metals from mine waste.

See also

• Semisynthesis

Notes and References

1. Dang . P. . Li . C. . 2022-12-01 . A mini-review of phytomining . International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology . en . 19 . 12 . 12825–12838 . 10.1007/s13762-021-03807-z . 2022JEST...1912825D . 1735-2630.
2. Brooks . Robert R . Chambers . Michael F . Nicks . Larry J . Robinson . Brett H . 1998-09-01 . Phytomining . Trends in Plant Science . 3 . 9 . 359–362 . 10.1016/S1360-1385(98)01283-7 . 1998TPS.....3..359B . 1360-1385.
3. Book: Linacre, J. Scott Angle and Nicholas A. . Ecological Risks of Novel Environmental Crop Technologies Using Phytoremediation as an Example . 2005 . Intl Food Policy Res Inst . en.
4. Web site: 2021-02-11 . Leaders of the energy transition are calling for a sustainable source of critical metals – is phytomining the answer? . 2023-10-09 . smi.uq.edu.au . en.
5. News: Morse . Ian . 2020-02-26 . Down on the Farm That Harvests Metal From Plants . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-10-09 . 0362-4331.
6. US5711784A. Method for phytomining of nickel, cobalt and other metals from soil. 1998-01-27. Chaney. Angle. Baker. Li. Rufus L.. Jay Scott. Alan J. M.. Yin-Ming.