Biotech Updates

New Plant-based Technology for Mining Waste

October 22, 2014

Researchers from the University of Santiago de Chile have developed a plant-based technology known as "phytostabilization," to combat the effects of contaminants produced from mining production processes.

Phytostabilization reduces the mobility of heavy metals in soil by growing metal-tolerant plants that can retain contaminants in mine waste. The roots of the plants absorb waste particles from mining production and eliminate the spread of waste particles by wind, which could affect certain ecosystems and human health.

The biotechnology is already being applied at some state-owned Chilean mines, and is being evaluated in mine sites in Bolivia, Colombia, and Canada.

For more, read: http://www.miningglobal.com/tech/1202/Chile-Develops-New-PlantBased-Technology-for-Mining-Waste.