US EditionChinese team finds a fern that makes rare earth elements
Researchers found Blechnum orientale fern produces nanoscale rare earth element crystals, supporting phytomining as a cheaper, less polluting mineral extraction method, study says.
4 Articles
4 Articles
The global competition to control the rare earths has just taken an unexpected turn. A team led by Chinese scientists discovered that a common fern, the Blechnum orientale, not only absorbs these elements from the ground but crystallizes them in the form of monazite, a valuable mineral that normally requires extreme temperatures and high pressure to form.
Although we are far from mining these highly valuable metals in this way, the research could help develop future technologies.
Chinese team finds a fern that makes rare earth elements
Scientists have discovered a fern from South China that naturally forms tiny crystals containing rare earth elements (REEs). This breakthrough opens the door to a promising new way of "green mining" of these minerals called phytomining.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
