An international team of researchers, including scientists from Wageningen University & Research, is investigating the potential for plants to extract nickel from soil. Nickel is an essential metal for producing lithium batteries. The project has received a grant of 1.35 million euros from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The research focuses on two plants from the mustard family that are known for their ability to absorb metal from the soil and incorporate it in their own tissues, a process known as phytomining. Nickel can then be harvested from the metal-rich plant biomass and subsequently used for industrial applications.

Nickel is recognized as an important metal for developing a cleaner economy. For instance, it is a key component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. “Using plants, we can extract nickel from the soil without the severe environmental damage that traditional open-pit mining causes. Moreover, converting the bio-ore into nickel metal releases significantly less carbon dioxide,” says WUR researcher Antony van der Ent, who, along with fellow researcher Mark Aarts, is involved in the project. “Our research contributes to a sustainable future.”

In this project, the DNA of the plants is being analyzed to identify genes that enhance nickel uptake and storage, and that influence growth and biomass production. This genetic information will support the development of plant cultivars with improved nickel accumulation and increased biomass, yielding larger quantities of harvested nickel.

The research team is also exploring methods to delay flowering in these plants. By delaying flowering, the plants could allocate more energy toward tissue growth, increasing the nickel content in the plant. According to the researchers, phytomining has the potential to become a completely new, sustainable approach to extract industry-critical metals from the soil.

In addition to researchers from WUR, the team includes scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Illinois State University, as well as the French company Botanickel, which focuses on sustainable nickel production using phytomining.