Mining. Naturally.
Mining and recovery processes for the retrieval and up-cycling of metals from soils and other substrates, both industrial and domestic, and their conversion into high-value nanoparticles for use in manufacturing.
“Soil health is the capacity of soil to function as a living system, with ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality and promote plant and animal health.”
— Doran and Reiss, 2000 - DOI:10.1016/S0929-1393(00)00067-6
Our Science
Most human activities release various emissions including metal particles into the environment and these metal particulates eventually end up in our soil.
By planting a dedicated combination of seeds, we can ‘mine’ these metals in a more sustainable manner than some traditional methods.
Our mining plants work because the excess of metals makes them stressed triggering them to move metals from the soil in order for their roots to live in a healthy environment.
The Opportunity
Pioneering research led by Dr Lorna Anguilano at Brunel University London has resulted in the development of extraction and synthesis processes that recover metals from contaminated soil and other substrates, converting them into high-value nanoparticles for use in manufacturing.
Metals commonly found in soil include lead, zinc, titanium, manganese and copper, as well as trace amounts of rarer, more valuable metals such as molybdenum.
While most land has soil that comes well within the safe limits of metals, some can be highly contaminated due to a site’s previous use such as a factory or foundry.
Such contamination is usually dealt with using chemical cleaning or more simply, by removing the contaminated soil and replacing it with fresh, clean soil. The current process of decontamination is destructive, disruptive, costly and in some cases has a negative environmental impact.
Phyona will disrupt this destructive cycle, recovering the metals and converting them into high-value nanoparticles to increase resources for the manufacturing sector. Ultimately, Phyona valorises a resource that would otherwise be treated as a nuisance.
Phyona Services
Planning
Phyona offers a planning service for site planting design to balance the overall landscaping with the range of plants (the hyper-accumulators) that are key to the natural mining process. This service can be delivered independently or in conjunction with a landscaping team responsible for delivery.
Consultancy
Phyona is available to carry out soil testing and analysis to identify any contaminates and their levels as well as recommend possible options for remediation and regeneration of the contaminated site.
For Consultancy and Planning please contact Lorna regarding how Phyona might be able to help lorna@phyona.co.uk
Lorna’s Seeds
Lorna’s Seeds is a consumer offer for gardeners and allotment owners to regenerate their soil by extracting any metal contaminants using UK native plants. We use the harvested plants to extract the metals and eventually up-cycle them into high-value products.
More information can be found at www.lornasseeds.co.uk
Our Team
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Dr Lorna Anguilano
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Lorna is a Director with responsibility for the innovation development of Phyona. She has 20 years experience working on material characterisation and development.
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Simon May
Co-Founder and CEO
Simon is a Director with responsibility for the business operations of Phyona. He has over 30 years working with and running innovative businesses.
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Uchechukwu Onwukwe
Lead Researcher
Uche is the lead scientist, responsible for the research and development needs of Phyona. She has 10 years experience in nano-materials synthesis.
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MD Shajjadul Islam
Project Coordinator
Shajjad is responsible for Supply Chain and Operations bringing over 5 years of professional experience, along with a distinct and innovative approach to the strategic planning of the company's operation and future goals.
We are keen to look at and explore new applications for the technology being developed.
Phyona would like to talk to potential partners that have an interest in soil cleaning and remediation as well as the acquisition of the recovered nano-materials. If this is of interest please get in touch with the team by filling in the form, thank you.