Conclusions and Outlook for Agromining

Abstract

Agromining encompasses the entire chain of processes that leads to the production of compounds, by which agricultural systems are applied to metalliferous resources. The technology of agromining has created a new era in the recovery of strategic metals from natural to secondary resources. During the last decades, hyperaccumulator plants have changed recognition from being merely a botanical curiosity to a prospect having tangible socio-economic and environmental applications. Despite the substantial research efforts, there is still insufficient knowledge on the botanical reservoir, phylogeny, physiology, ecophysiology and genetics of hyperaccumulation by plants. Agromining should be equated with ecosystem conservation goals and hence follow the general trend of agricultural evolution, and multi-functionality should be sought in order to provide and optimize a wide range of ecosystem services. Ultramafic outcrops, especially in many equatorial regions, have tremendous potential for developing agromining of Ni but agromining is not confined to Ni as many other elements may be agromined. Agromining can be understood as an example of model test to build the foundation for a new era of sustainable human development.