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  • © 2018

Agromining: Farming for Metals

Extracting Unconventional Resources Using Plants

  • The first book on global agromining/phytomining technology
  • Written and edited by leading experts in the field
  • Provides a comprehensive overview of the complete agromining chain: from soils and hyperaccumulator plants to agronomy and processing of bio-ores

Part of the book series: Mineral Resource Reviews (MIRERE)

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Table of contents (20 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-viii
  2. The Long Road to Developing Agromining/Phytomining

    • Rufus L. Chaney, Alan J. M. Baker, Jean Louis Morel
    Pages 1-17
  3. Agronomy of ‘Metal Crops’ Used in Agromining

    • Philip Nti Nkrumah, Rufus L. Chaney, Jean Louis Morel
    Pages 19-38
  4. Processing of Bio-ore to Products

    • Marie-Odile Simonnot, James Vaughan, Baptiste Laubie
    Pages 39-51
  5. Life Cycle Assessment and Ecosystem Services of Agromining

    • Marie-Noëlle Pons, Jérémy Rodrigues, Marie-Odile Simonnot
    Pages 53-73
  6. Global Distribution and Ecology of Hyperaccumulator Plants

    • Roger D. Reeves, Antony van der Ent, Alan J. M. Baker
    Pages 75-92
  7. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Trace Element Hyperaccumulation

    • Sylvain Merlot, Vanesa Sanchez Garcia de la Torre, Marc Hanikenne
    Pages 93-116
  8. Tools for the Discovery of Hyperaccumulator Plant Species and Understanding Their Ecophysiology

    • Vidiro Gei, Peter D. Erskine, Hugh H. Harris, Guillaume Echevarria, Jolanta Mesjasz-Przybyłowicz, Alban D. Barnabas et al.
    Pages 117-133
  9. Incorporating Hyperaccumulator Plants into Mine Rehabilitation in the Asia-Pacific Region

    • Peter D. Erskine, Gavin Lee, Bruno Fogliani, Laurent L’Huillier, Stéphane McCoy
    Pages 189-204
  10. Element Case Studies: Nickel

    • Aida Bani, Guillaume Echevarria, Dolja Pavlova, Seit Shallari, Jean Louis Morel, Sulejman Sulçe
    Pages 221-232
  11. Element Case Studies: Cobalt and Copper

    • Michel-Pierre Faucon, Olivier Pourret, Bastien Lange
    Pages 233-239
  12. Element Case Studies: Selenium

    • Maria Clemencia Zambrano, Linxi Yuan, Xuebin Yin, Gary Bañuelos
    Pages 241-251
  13. Element Case Studies: Thallium and Noble Metals

    • Brett Robinson, Chris Anderson
    Pages 253-261
  14. Element Case Studies: Manganese

    • Chuan Wu, Shengguo Xue
    Pages 263-273
  15. Element Case Studies: Arsenic

    • Tongbin Chen, Mei Lei, Xiaoming Wan, Xiaoyong Zhou, Jun Yang, Guanghui Guo et al.
    Pages 275-281
  16. Element Case Studies: Cadmium and Zinc

    • Longhua Wu, Pengjie Hu, Zhu Li, Tong Zhou, Daoxu Zhong, Yongming Luo
    Pages 283-296
  17. Element Case Studies: Rare Earth Elements

    • Chang Liu, Ming Yuan, Wen-Shen Liu, Mei-Na Guo, Hermine Huot, Ye-Tao Tang et al.
    Pages 297-308

About this book

This is the first book on global agromining/phytomining technology. It presents the complete metal farming or agromining chain; an emerging technology expected to be transformative in the extraction of resources of those elements not accessible by traditional mining techniques. Meeting the demand for critical minerals (rare earth elements, platinum group elements, nickel cobalt) is increasingly difficult in the 21st century due to resource depletion and geopolitical factors. Agromining uses hyperaccumulator plants as “metal crops” farmed on sub-economic soils or mineral waste to obtain valuable elements.

This book, which follows the metal farming chain, starts with the latest information on the global distribution and ecology of hyperaccumulator plants, biogeochemical pathways, the influence of rhizosphere microbes, as well as aspects of propagation and conservation of these unusual plants. It then presents the state of the art in new tools for identifying hyperaccumulator plants and for understanding their physiology and molecular biology. It goes on to describe the agronomy of “metal crops,” and opportunities for incorporating agromining into rehabilitation and mine closure, including test-cases of nickel, cobalt, selenium, thallium, rare earth elements and PGEs. Finally, it concludes with an overview of the latest developments in the processing of bio-ores and associated products.

This book is edited and authored by the pioneers in the field who have been at the foreground of the development of agromining over the past three decades. It is timely as agromining is now at a pivotal point in its development with rapid expansion of activities in the field around the globe. As such it is of interest to environmental professionals in the minerals industry, government regulators and academics.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, UMR 1120, Université de Lorraine-INRA, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Antony Van der Ent, Guillaume Echevarria, Jean Louis Morel

  • School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Alan J.M. Baker

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Agromining: Farming for Metals

  • Book Subtitle: Extracting Unconventional Resources Using Plants

  • Editors: Antony Van der Ent, Guillaume Echevarria, Alan J.M. Baker, Jean Louis Morel

  • Series Title: Mineral Resource Reviews

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61899-9

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-87189-9Published: 09 September 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-61899-9Published: 28 October 2017

  • Series ISSN: 2365-0559

  • Series E-ISSN: 2365-0567

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VIII, 312

  • Topics: Mineral Resources, Biogeosciences, Plant Biochemistry

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access