Slashing CO2Plants that mine metals.
Big Picture
A tension at the heart of the movement to electrify our cars, homes, and grids is that mining the materials needed is extremely slow and pollutive. As a whole, the mining sector emits 4-7% of global GHGs and results in devastating levels of water and soil contamination. And yet, metals demand from clean energy tech is set to boom – on the scale of 19x more nickel and 42x more lithium. But opening a new mine these days takes an average of 18 years.
How it Works
Genomines genetically edits “hyperaccumulator plants”– plants capable of concentrating extremely high levels of metal from soils in their tissues – to enhance their metal- accumulating abilities. Their plants can extract metals at 10-15x lower concentrations than native hyperaccumulators while capturing atmospheric CO₂ in the process. The metals can be harvested as quickly as the plant’s leaves can grow.
Unfair Advantage
Starting with nickel, Genomines is unlocking untapped critical mineral supply without harming soil, water supplies, or local communities. By extracting value from the roughly 85% of soils that are dug up but unprocessed in conventional mines, Genomines’ plants transform liability into profit. By simplifying the whole mining value chain and turning a cost center into a source of high-margin revenue, Genomines’ value proposition becomes too good to ignore.
10
Tons of CO₂e
avoided per ton of metal produced
FABIEN KOUTCHEKIAN CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Fabien, a 2nd time founder, holds a Master’s in Mining Engineering from France’s renowned Ecole des Mines.
DALI RASHID CTO & CO-FOUNDER
Dali holds a PhD in Plant Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, and her work on plant sex determination is frequently cited.
Scientists are mining metals from an unusual source – plants
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