PHYTOMETHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF NICKEL, COBALT AND OTHER METALS FROM THE SOIL

摘要

The invention relates to the extraction of nickel, cobalt and metals of the subgroup of the platinum and palladium from plants of the Brassicaceae genus, in particular of the Alyssum species, grown in a soil containing the above metals. Suitable conditions are set in the soil by keeping a low pH value, low potassium concentration and by the application of ammonium fertilizers and chelate agents to it. The nickel accumulation is about 2.5% and more in the plant tissues above ground level which enables the extraction of the metal by the treatment of the plant material which is dried and burnt so that the organic matter can be oxidated and evaporated and the metal accumulated in them extracted, in a concentration 10-20 times higher than that in the soil, and at that in a kind which can be utilized in the conventional nickel refining or smelting. 3 claims 1 1