ABSTRACT
The economics associated with establishing and growing vegetation at contaminated sites can be improved if a metal that has commercial value can be extracted from the soil by plants. Phytomining is the process of extracting a product such as nickel from soil using hyperaccumulator plants that are able to grow in the contaminated soil and accumulate a metal product of value. After harvesting the plant biomass, drying it, and burning it for energy recovery, the ash can be processed to extract the metal of interest. Nickel and gold are good examples of products that have commercial value when phytomining is implemented at a contaminated site. Solar energy is used in phytomining, and soil quality is improved in many cases by increasing soil organic carbon and improving biological health and diversity in the soil. This chapter includes a review of phytomining and an analysis of its applications at contaminated sites containing metals that have commercial value.
