French Firm Botanickel Grows Nickel-Harvesting Plants in the Balkans

Botanickel, a French bio-sourced nickel producer, has been cultivating fields of Alyssum murale, a hyperaccumulator plant, in the Balkans for several years. The plant is used to extract nickel from the soil by absorbing heavy metals through its roots and storing them in its aerial parts without harm, according to Guillaume Echevarria, a specialist in phytoremediation.

Typically employed to decontaminate polluted soils, hyperaccumulators like Alyssum murale offer a sustainable way to extract nickel. Once harvested, the plant is processed into pellets and used as biomass fuel in a pilot boiler, adding another layer of environmental benefit to the process.

Botanickel is a joint venture between stainless steel producer Aperam and vegetable biotech company Econick.