Phytomining: A review

Bioharvesting of metals from high biomass crops grown in soil substrates particularly those associated with sub-economic mineralization is termed phytomining. It is a recent more advanced technology of phytoremediation to produce low volume, sulphide-free 'bio-ore', which can either be safely disposed of or, if the target metal is of sufficient economic value, smelted, and recovered. This technology has potential application in the mineral industry to return an economic profit by commercial production of metals via cropping. Numerous sites across the globe are enriched with metals that could potentially be phytomined. In recent years major scientific progress has been made in understanding the potential for application of this herbage-based technique in the mining industry to develop a good relationship between the industry and community. This paper reviews various aspects of phytomining along with the advantages, limitations, and future feasibility of the technology. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.