Media contact:— Megan Winslow, Public Relations Specialist, 352-294-3313, winslow@ufl.edu
September 6, 2024 —
A team of UF/IFAS researchers will receive $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy to support the development of methods to extract nickel from soil through plants, a process called phytomining.
Jeongim Kim, associate professor of horticultural sciences, and her team will use advanced plant science and artificial intelligence to increase the ability of native plants to harvest nickel from soils. Other contributing researchers include Scott Angle, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and Xu “Kevin” Wang, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
“Nickel is an essential element for clean energy,” said Kim. “It’s used in lithium-ion batteries present in electric vehicles and other fuel cells. We currently have a limited domestic supply to meet the rapidly increasing demand.”
This project will not only domesticate metal-harvesting plants, it will also help establish a cost-competitive and sustainable supply chain for the extracted nickel. Companies in Europe are already turning to nickel-rich plants as a source of the in-demand metal. Increasing effectiveness of phytomining in the United States will produce similar market opportunities as those in Europe.
Through technology transfer and commercialization, these plants and methods will be available to remediate metal-heavy land that otherwise has little agricultural value.
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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