New research has revealed that genetically modified (GM) crops could be used to industrially harvest platinum and pgm nanoparticles.

The study, carried out by the University of Texas-El Paso, has found that alfalfa plants grown on an artificially gold-rich soil contained gold nanoparticles in the roots and along the entire shoot of the plants, with physical properties similar to those produced using conventional chemistry techniques, reports nanotechnology website, Azonano.com.

It is thought that the finding could lead to the development of precious metal "harvesting", whereby plants are grown in soil that is rich in metals such as silver, europium, palladium, platinum and iron.

Scientists have long been aware of the fact that plants can use their roots to extract nutrients and minerals from the soil, but this latest finding suggests that platinum and other pgms, including palladium, can be extracted from plants through dissolving the organic material.

This would be a much cheaper and more environmentally-friendly approach to extracting the nanoparticles.


© DeHavilland Information Services plc