'Mining' for metals using Nature's machines
Friday, September 21, 2012 - 06:02
in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers in the University' s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence and the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) aim to develop ways to extract platinum group metals (PGM) discarded during mine processing which might then be used in catalysis. The research will investigate "phyto-mining," which involves growing plants on mine waste materials to sponge up PGM into their cellular structure.