Chinese scientists have, for the first time, discovered rare-earth biomineralization in ferns — a breakthrough that could pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable method of extracting rare-earth elements, the Global Times learned on Thursday.

The research team, led by Zhu Jianxi from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved the milestone through phytomining — a green technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals from soil — offering a potential solution to the environmental challenges of traditional rare-earth mining.

Rare-earth elements, known as the "vitamins of industry," are indispensable strategic resources for high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, new energy and national defense, yet their supply faces environmental and geopolitical challenges.

The team found that the edible fern species Blechnum orientale contains high concentration of rare-earth elements, and observed these elements crystallizing within extracellular tissues under ambient conditions, forming dendritic, nanoscale monazite through mineralization coupled with self-organization.

This is the first discovery of biological mineralization phenomenon of rare-earth elements in natural plants, the research team told the Global Times, noting that such minerals are typically formed through geological processes such as magmatic or hydrothermal activity, that require higher temperatures.

The findings, published in the international journal Environmental Science &Technology online on Wednesday not only reveal the mechanisms by which plants "detoxify" and mineralize rare-earth elements but also provide a new pathway for the sustainable use of rare-earth resources.

By cultivating hyperaccumulator plants such as Blechnum orientale, it is possible to both remediate contaminated soil and restore rare-earth mine tailings while simultaneously recovering high-value rare-earth elements from biomass - achieving a truly green circular model of "restoration alongside recovery," researchers said.

"In the past, we only knew that microorganisms and animals could 'produce minerals' in their bodies, such as calcite and aragonite in shells and corals, and apatite in animals' teeth and bones. However, the 'mineral-producing ability' of plants has long been underestimated," He Liuqing, first author of the research paper, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The discovery of rare-earth biomineralization in Blechnum orientale not only expands human's understanding of biomineralization mechanisms in plants but also opens a new window for studying nearly a thousand known hyperaccumulator plants," said Zhu.

Blechnum orientale is a special type of rare-earth "hyperaccumulator" - essentially acting as a "rare-earth vacuum cleaner" in the soil. It efficiently absorbs rare-earth elements dispersed in the environment, and concentrates them in the vascular bundles and epidermal tissues of its leaves. The rare-earth elements precipitate in the form of nanoparticles and further crystallize into rare-earth minerals.

This self-protection mechanism helps lock potentially harmful rare-earth ions into mineral structures, neutralizing and naturally "detoxifying" them.

Monazite is an important industrial source of rare-earth elements. However, its natural form often contains radioactive uranium and thorium, which complicates both its mining and practical application. By contrast, the "biological monazite" formed by Blechnum orientale under natural growth conditions is pure and non-radioactive, showing strong potential for green extraction. (Global Times)