Abstract
Ultramafic soils are typically enriched in nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co) and deficient in essential nutrients, making them unattractive for traditional agriculture. Implementing agromining systems in ultramafic agricultural soils represent an ecological option for the sustainable management and re-valorisation of these low-productivity landscapes. These novel agroecosystems cultivate Ni-hyperaccumulating plants which are able to bioaccumulate this metal in their aerial plant parts; harvested biomass can be incinerated to produce Ni-enriched ash or “bio-ore” from which Ni metal, Ni ecocatalysts or pure Ni salts can be recovered. Nickel hyperaccumulation has been documented in approximately 450 species, and in temperate latitudes these mainly belong to the family Brassicaceae and particularly to the genus Odontarrhena (syn. Alyssum pro parte). Agromining allows for sustainable metal recovery without causing the environmental impacts associated with conventional mining activities, and at the same time, can improve soil fertility and quality and provide essential ecosystem services. Parallel reductions in Ni phytotoxicity over time would also permit cultivation of conventional agricultural crops. Field studies in Europe have been restricted to Mediterranean areas and only evaluating the Ni-hyperaccumulator Odontarrhena muralis s.l. Two recent EU projects (Agronickel and LIFE-Agromine) have established a network of agromining field sites in ultramafic regions with different edapho-climatic characteristics across Albania, Austria, Greece and Spain. Soil and crop management practices are being developed so as to optimize the Ni agromining process; field studies are evaluating the potential benefits of fertilization regimes, crop selection and cropping patterns, and bioaugmentation with plant-associated microorganisms. Hydrometallurgical processes are being up-scaled to produce nickel compounds and energy from hyperaccumulator biomass. Exploratory techno-economic assessment of Ni metal recovery by pyrometallurgical conversion of O. muralis s.l. shows promising results under the condition that heat released during incineration can be valorized in the vicinity of the processing facility.
Highlights
Ultramafic Soils in EuropeUltramafic soils are natural metalliferous soils derived from the weathering of ultramafic rocks which comprise at least 70% ferromagnesian minerals and
While Ni-accumulation is unknown among the “true” Alyssums, most species and populations of Odontarrhena that grow on ultramafic soil possess this ability
Due to nutrient deficiencies of ultramafic soils, mineral fertilization has a positive effect on the biomass production of Ni hyperaccumulators such as Odontarrhena
Summary
Petra Susan Kidd 1*, Aida Bani 2,3, Emile Benizri 4, Cristina Gonnelli 5, Claire Hazotte 6, Johannes Kisser 7, Maria Konstantinou 8, Tom Kuppens 9, Dimitris Kyrkas 10, Baptiste Laubie 6, Robert Malina 9, Jean-Louis Morel 4, Hakan Olcay 9, Tania Pardo 1, Marie-Noëlle Pons 6, Ángeles Prieto-Fernández 1, Markus Puschenreiter 11, Celestino Quintela-Sabarís 4, Charlene Ridard 11, Beatriz Rodríguez-Garrido 1, Theresa Rosenkranz 11, Piotr Rozpadek 12, Ramez Saad 4, Federico Selvi 13, Marie-Odile Simonnot 6, Alice Tognacchini , 7,11 Katarzyna Turnau 14, Rafal Wazny 12, Nele Witters 9 and Guillaume Echevarria 4. Implementing agromining systems in ultramafic agricultural soils represent an ecological option for the sustainable management and re-valorisation of these low-productivity landscapes. These novel agroecosystems cultivate Ni-hyperaccumulating plants which are able to bioaccumulate this metal in their aerial plant parts; harvested biomass can be incinerated to produce Ni-enriched ash or “bio-ore” from which Ni metal, Ni ecocatalysts or pure Ni salts can be recovered. Agromining allows for sustainable metal recovery without causing the environmental impacts associated with conventional mining activities, and at the same time, can improve soil fertility and quality and provide essential ecosystem services. Sustainable Agromining Systems for Nickel Recovery optimize the Ni agromining process; field studies are evaluating the potential benefits of fertilization regimes, crop selection and cropping patterns, and bioaugmentation with plant-associated microorganisms.
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