DOE explores nickel farming concept

Invests $10 million for PHYTOMINES, a project to investigate the potential of using hyperaccumulating plants to draw nickel from soil.

Will we soon be able to farm some of the nickel needed for lithium-ion batteries? The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $10 million to find out.

The idea of using plants to extract nickel from soil is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Researchers have identi...