From Soil to Sustainability: How Genomines Is Farming the Future of Nickel Mining

In a world where clean energy demands are skyrocketing and traditional mining is wreaking havoc on ecosystems, one biotech startup is rewriting the rules—by growing metals instead of blasting them out of the earth. Genomines, a Paris-based innovator, just raised $45 million to scale up a revolutionary approach to mining that swaps dynamite for daisies.

Mining Without Mayhem: The Rise of Phytomining

Forget the image of dusty pits and roaring machinery. Genomines is pioneering a process called phytoextraction, where genetically enhanced plants—known as hyperaccumulators—absorb nickel from the soil through their roots and store it in their stems and leaves. These plants are then harvested, dried, and processed to produce battery-grade nickel oxide, a critical material for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, and stainless steel production.

The company’s pilot site in South Africa looks more like a wildflower meadow than a mine. But beneath the surface, it’s a high-efficiency nickel farm. Genomines has engineered these plants to be three times larger and capable of soaking up twice as much nickel as their natural counterparts. The result? A crop that can yield up to 7.6% metal content in its biomass.

Why This Matters: The Nickel Crunch

Nickel is essential for the global energy transition, especially in EV batteries. But traditional mining is facing a crisis. High-grade nickel reserves in places like Indonesia are dwindling, and the environmental toll of mining—deforestation, pollution, and carbon emissions—is unsustainable.

Genomines offers a radically different path. Their plant-based method:

• Requires minimal infrastructure

• Can be deployed in 1–2 years (versus decades for conventional mines)

• Is carbon neutral, thanks to the plants’ natural CO₂ absorption

• Remediates soil instead of destroying it

  
  

  The $45 Million Bet on Green Metals

Genomines’ recent $45 million Series A round, led by Engine Ventures and Forbion BioEconomy, signals a seismic shift in how investors view the future of mining. With backing from major players like Hyundai Motor Group and Jaguar Land Rover, the startup is gearing up to prove its model at scale and secure commercial offtake agreements.

CEO Fabien Koutchekian, a former mining engineer, sees this as more than a sustainability play. “People care if the process is cost competitive,” he says. “Luckily, our technology allows us to produce metal at 40% below the industry’s median cost”.

A New Industry Rooted in Regeneration

Genomines isn’t just tweaking mining—it’s planting the seeds of a new industry. By unlocking previously unusable land and transforming it into productive nickel farms, they’re reshaping global supply chains and offering a scalable solution to one of the planet’s most pressing resource challenges.

And the implications go beyond nickel. With over 750 known hyperaccumulator species, the potential to extract other metals like cobalt, copper, and lithium is enormous.

Why This Story Resonates

It’s proof that innovation doesn’t have to come at the cost of community or environment. It’s a reminder that the future can be both high-tech and deeply rooted in the land.

So next time someone says mining can’t be sustainable, point them to a field of wildflowers in South Africa—and tell them the future is growing. Maybe it's something wee need to start cultivating in rural Small Town America.