Environment
A start-up in Albania, co-founded by a mining industry mogul, backed by a mining industry billionaire, is farming plants to harvest carbon-neutral nickel from the soil while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
By James Dinneen
The start-up Metalplant harvests nickel-accumulating flowers
Courtesy of MetalPlant
On a recent afternoon in northern Albania, workers gathered armfuls of freshly cut shrubs covered in yellow flowers, leaving them to dry in the sun like hay. But this was no ordinary harvest. The farm is both a mine, growing plants that accumulate nickel metal in their leaves and stems, and a carbon sink, its soil spread with crushed rocks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“We’re able to turn the lowest-grade land in the world into some of the most lucrative land in the world,” says Eric Matzner…
Article amended on 5 July 2024
We clarified Sahit Muja’s relationship to Metalplant.
View introductory offers
No commitment, cancel anytime*
Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.
*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on
unserved issues.
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)
or
Existing subscribers
Sign in to your account
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
English