Advancing phytomining: Harnessing plant potential for sustainable rare earth element extraction

Bioresour Technol. 2024 Apr 27:130751. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130751. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTRare earth elements (REEs) are pivotal for advanced technologies, driving a surge in global demand. Import dependency on clean ene rgy minerals raises concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities and geopolitical risks. Conventional EE manufacturing is resource-intensive and environmentally harmful, necessitating a sustainable supply approach. Phytomining (agromining) utilizes plants for eco-friendly REE extraction, contributing to the circular economy and exploiting untapped metal resources in enriched soils. Critical parameters like soil pH, Casparian strip, and REE valence influence soil and plant uptake bioavailability. Hyperaccumulator species efficiently accumulate REEs, serving as energy resources. Despite a lack of a comprehensive database, phytomining exhibits lower environmental impacts due to minimal chemical usage and CO2 absorption. This review proposes phytomining as a system for REEs extraction, remediating contaminated areas, and rehabilitating abandoned mines. The phytomining of REEs offers a promising avenue for sustainable REEs extraction but requires technological advancements to realize its full potential.PMID:38685517 | DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130751
Source: Bioresource Technology - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Source Type: research