Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
1 comment 
Chinese Scientists Discover That A Living Plant Can Produce Rare Earth Minerals In Its Tissues, Paving The Way For A New Era Of Green And Sustainable Mining Based On Biological Processes
In an advancement that could transform the global mining industry, a group of scientists led by China has managed to extract rare earth minerals from a living plant, an unprecedented achievement worldwide. According to the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, the study marks a new chapter in the sustainable exploration of natural resources, demonstrating that certain plant species can generate valuable minerals under normal environmental conditions.
The Discovery: Monazite Inside A Living Plant
The researchers found nanoscale monazite, a phosphate mineral rich in cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium, crystallized within the tissues of a perennial fern called Blechnum orientale. This mineral is essential for the development of modern technologies, from batteries and wind turbines to electronic devices and defense systems.
According to the official statement, the finding “opens new possibilities for the direct recovery of functional materials from rare earth elements.” The research was published in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology and involved collaboration with Virginia Tech from the United States.
-
São Paulo reaches a new level and will draw seawater to supply a tourist city: an unprecedented R$ 56.4 million plant will use reverse osmosis, deliver 20 liters per second, and expand the water supply.
-
Indigenous peoples of the Andes surprise scientists by revealing a rare genetic adaptation linked to potato consumption 10,000 years ago, a discovery that could change what we know about evolution, diet, and human survival.
-
China unveils unprecedented quantum computer with 2 cores and 200 qubits: new architecture promises to reduce errors, increase stability for up to 100 seconds, and accelerate the global race for more powerful and scalable quantum machines.
-
Laser that once occupied an entire laboratory now fits on a tiny chip and delivers 147 femtosecond pulses, paving the way for portable atomic clocks, medical diagnostics, and high-precision sensors.
(Image credit: Environmental Science & Technology / Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry)
A New Form Of Green Mining
The study demonstrated that plants can facilitate the natural mineralization of these compounds on the earth’s surface, without the need for high pressures or extreme temperatures typical of geological processes. This phenomenon is known as phytomining, an ecological technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals from the soil and store them in their tissues.
After being cultivated in mineral-rich areas, the plants are harvested and processed to recover the metals. This method “reduces the dependence on conventional mining and mitigates the environmental and geopolitical impacts associated,” claim the authors of the study. Furthermore, it can transform vegetation into a renewable source of strategic minerals, amid a growing dispute for supply of rare earths on a global scale.
The Chemical Process Behind The Phenomenon
During the investigation, scientists collected soil and vegetation samples from natural rare earth deposits in Guangzhou. The analysis revealed a much higher concentration of these elements in the leaves of the fern, where the minerals crystallized outside the plant cells, forming a type of “natural chemical garden.”
This biological mechanism, described as a “self-organized non-equilibrium process,” acts as a detoxification method, allowing the plant to eliminate non-nutritive elements without damaging itself. “As far as we know, this is the first documented case of mineral crystallization of rare earth elements within a living hyperaccumulator,” the researchers stated.
A Circular Model For The Future
The Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry highlighted that the discovery could serve as a basis for a green circular model, combining environmental remediation and simultaneous recycling. In other words, plants could clean contaminated soils while providing strategic resources for the technology industry.
If improved, this method could allow China, already a global leader in rare earth production, to consolidate an even more dominant position in the sector, but now under a sustainable and ecological approach. The study also paves the way for the development of plant biofactories capable of generating functional minerals without relying on traditional mining.
For more technical details and access to the original study, see: He L. et al., “Discovery And Implications Of A Nanoscale Rare-Earth Mineral In A Hyperaccumulator Plant,” Environmental Science & Technology. Available at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c09617
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us