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Agronomy of ‘Metal Crops’ Used in Agromining

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Agromining: Farming for Metals

Part of the book series: Mineral Resource Reviews ((MIRERE))

Abstract

Agromining involves growing selected hyperaccumulator plant species (‘metal crops’) on low-grade ore bodies or mineralized (ultramafic) soils, or anthropogenic metal rich materials (e.g. contaminated soils, mine spoils, industrial sludge), prior to biomass harvesting and incineration to recover valuable metals or salts. This chapter begins with an introduction that explains the concepts of phytomining and agromining. We then acknowledge the role of agronomy in enhancing metal yield of ‘metal crops,’ with emphasis on Ni. Highlighted in the selection of sites section is the issue of potential agromining substrates, and the role of metal phytoavailability in economic agromining. We present criteria for selecting potential ‘metal crops’ and possible regions where these species are most suited for successful agromining operations. We then discuss thoroughly the soil and plant management practices that have been proposed to increase biomass and metal yield of ‘metal crops.’ Also reported is progress of the tropical agronomic trials. Finally, we provide a conclusion and present an outlook on the agronomy of ‘metal crops’ used in agromining.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Philip Nti Nkrumah

  2. Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Rufus L. Chaney

  3. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, UMR 1120, Université de Lorraine-INRA, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Jean Louis Morel

Authors
  1. Philip Nti Nkrumah
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  2. Rufus L. Chaney
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  3. Jean Louis Morel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip Nti Nkrumah .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, UMR 1120, Université de Lorraine-INRA, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Antony Van der Ent

  2. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, UMR 1120, Université de Lorraine-INRA, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Guillaume Echevarria

  3. School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Alan J.M. Baker

  4. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, UMR 1120, Université de Lorraine-INRA, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Jean Louis Morel

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Nkrumah, P.N., Chaney, R.L., Morel, J.L. (2018). Agronomy of ‘Metal Crops’ Used in Agromining. In: Van der Ent, A., Echevarria, G., Baker, A., Morel, J. (eds) Agromining: Farming for Metals. Mineral Resource Reviews. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61899-9_2

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