Phytomining

Phytomining, sometimes called agromining,[1] is the concept of extracting heavy metals from the soil using plants.

[3] The approach exploits the existence of hyperaccumulators, proteins or compounds secreted by plants to bind certain metal ions.

[4] A 2021 review concluded that the commercial viability of phytomining was "limited"[1] because it is a slow and inefficient process.

[5] They, as well as Jay Scott Angle and Yin-Ming Li, filed a patent on the process in 1995 which expired in 2015.

[2] Phytomining could also remove low-grade heavy metals from mine waste.

Phytoremediation through phytoextraction by a hyperaccumulator ; zinc and copper are moved from the soil to the leaves of the plant