David Salt (R), John Freeman


Genetically modified plants may be the green solution for cleaning up polluted sites. Researchers David Salt and John Freeman aim to develop plants that remove toxic metals from the environment in a process known as phytoremediation, or extract useful metals from soil, a process known as phytomining.


The attack of the metal eating plants! Much cheaper than bulldozing the soil and carting it off for landfill or to some decontamination facility.

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5 comments

  • i am a scholar of mathematics.i am looking for these plants.i wish to learn the mechanism, how these plants extract toxic metals from soil.i would be very grateful if you could provide me with this information and also a list of such plants. are there any natural metal eating plants or only genetically modified ones exist?

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  • bec

    (link) using spinach to remediate lead pollution in soil: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/information/newsletterarchives/Vol5Iss1/nb3.htm

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  • bec

    Even un-genetically modified plants are being used to clean up some some soil pollutants: the University of Southern Maine is using http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/information/newsletterarchives/Vol5Iss1/nb3.htm.

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  • Good point Arnoud. Of course is is still very much in research phase. I love the hawain shirts with the fake nature flowers.

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  • =A=

    Nice project! So how deep go the roots of these weeds in order to be able to compete with bulldozing?

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