Scientists from the University of Los Baños (Philippines) have discovered a new species of herbaceous plant, from the family of violets, which can accumulate up to 18,000 ppm of nickel in its leaves without being poisoned , an amount thousands of times higher than that which makes up the usual nutrition of vegetables. The extraordinary assimilation capacity of this toxic metal, present in less than 1 percent of the species, makes the Rinorea niccolifera a promise of the phytomining or cultivation of hyper-accumulating plants for the recovery of its metallic content.
The specimen of Rinorea niccolifera was found in the western part of Luzon Island, in the Philippines, an area known for its soil rich in heavy metals, and brings to 450 the number of vascular plant species possessing this unusual ability of the total of 300,000 registered species . Only a few months ago, eucalyptus trees were documented in Australia in which microscopic gold particles grow, which, added to the new discovery, reveals the amazing mineral absorption capacity of the roots.
According to the authors of the research, these plants have great potential for the development of ecotechnologies such as phytoremediation or decontamination of soils, and the phytomining or extraction of metals of commercial value through the harvest and subsequent incineration of the plants. Although the amount of nickel is considerably high compared to other species, at the moment it does not reach sufficient quotas to consolidate itself as a viable alternative to mining, although it lays the foundations for one day the excavation, which is extremely harmful to the environment, will be replaced by “intoxicated” crops.
