Mining metals with plants
Abstract
Several hundreds of plant species are able to accumulate and store heavy metals that are toxic to most organisms. Some of these are already used in the decontamination of polluted industrial sites. With growing demand for key minerals like nickel and rare earth elements, there is now a keen interest in using such plants in the commercial mining of soils containing low concentrations of coveted minerals. Michael Gross reports.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Heavy metals in environment
Extraction and Separation Processes
Heavy Metals in Plants
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Current Biology
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- R73–R75
- Publication date
- 1 February 2026
- Language
- EN