CL4W Cleaning Land for Wealth

consortium of researchers led by WMG at the University of Warwick are to embark on a £3 million research programme called “Cleaning Land for Wealth” (CL4W), 
that will use a common class of flower to restore poisoned soils while at the same time producing perfectly sized and shaped nano sized platinum and arsenic nanoparticles 
for use in catalytic convertors, cancer treatments and a range of other applications.   
   
A “Sandpit” exercise organised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) allowed researchers from WMG (Warwick Manufacturing 
group) at the University of Warwick, Newcastle University, The University of Birmingham, Cranfield University and the University of Edinburgh to come together 
and share technologies and skills to come up with an innovative multidisciplinary research project that could help solve major technological and environmental 
challenges.   
   
The researchers pooled their knowledge of how to use plants and bacteria to soak up particular elements and chemicals and how to subsequently harvest, process 
and collect that material. They have devised an approach to demonstrate the feasibility in which they are confident that they can use common classes of flower 
and plants (such as Alyssum), to remove poisonous chemicals such as arsenic and platinum from polluted land and water courses potentially allowing that land 
to be reclaimed and reused.   
   
That in itself would be a significant achievement, but as the sandpit progressed the researchers found that jointly they had the knowledge to achieve much 
more than just cleaning up the land.