PETAL: Developing a plant-based platinum group metal recovery system

Phytomining is a plant-based engineering method that addresses the need to recover Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), which have supplies limited by the reserve size and geopolitical factors. PETAL proposes a strategy to recycle dilute PGMs from waste streams, such as roadside sweeper waste and industrial effluents using plants. Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing Palladium (Pd)- or copper- (Cu) binding azurin proteins, in combination with synthetic Pd-binding peptides (Q7, Pd4) have been generated. You will be responsible for growing Arabidopsis plants and then dosing them with metal salts or metal-containing soil. You will then use Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), to measure metal concentrations, and time permitting, employ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to characterize the localisation and morphology of the Pd nanoparticles formed within the plant's cellular structure. You will be welcomed into the Rylott research group and encouraged to ask lots of questions about the scientific background. You will attend, and contribute at, Rylott and CNAP-wide lab meetings, learn about other CNAP projects, offer your valued insight into future project directions, and enjoy lots of exciting science (and plenty of cake, if wanted). Students will need to find their own accommodation and be expected to present their findings orally at a research day in York on 08th September 2026.