Agromining: farming for metals in the future?
Antony van der Ent1,2, Alan J M Baker1,3,2, Roger D Reeves3
1†Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Environmental Science & Technology
|February 21, 2015
Summary
Agromining, a type of phytomining, uses plants to farm metals like nickel from degraded lands. Large-scale demonstrations are needed to prove its profitability and viability for the mining industry.
Area of Science:
- Agronomy
- Biotechnology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Phytomining utilizes hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals, concentrating them in harvestable biomass.
- Agromining, a phytomining variant, proposes farming metals like nickel on degraded lands as an alternative to traditional agriculture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the lack of commercialization in phytomining despite successful experiments.
- To advocate for large-scale demonstrations to assess operational risks and profitability for the minerals industry.
Main Methods:
- Harvesting, drying, and incinerating metal-rich plant biomass to create a high-grade bio-ore.
- Proposing agromining as a sustainable agricultural practice for metal production.
Main Results:
- Commercial phytomining has not yet been realized despite two decades of research.
- A significant gap exists between experimental success and industrial application.
Conclusions:
- Large-scale agromining demonstrations are crucial for validating the technology's economic feasibility.
- Evidence of profitability and operational risk assessment are needed to gain industry acceptance.
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