Spotlight on pHYBi: Where modelling approaches like microbial metabolic models and a virtual replication tool assists phytoremediation
In the Phytoremediation session in the first day of the EBC conference, Akanksha Mishra from Idener, introduced our project with a flash oral presentation, followed by a hands-on poster session. Here Akanksha presented how this dual modelling strategy within pHYBi can fine-tune phytoremediation. This way contaminated land could be reverted to its initial, contaminant-free state. In attendance were our other partners from UMLP, Michel Chalot and Verónica Peña Álvarez from UNIOVI, who lead the phytomanagement case studies in France and Spain respectively.
pHYBi isn’t just about cleaning up contaminated land; it’s about creating circular value for Europe’s bio-based textile industry. Our approach is as much about what we grow as how we grow it:
- Phytomanagement with a Purpose: We plant industrial crops on polluted sites, but don’t stop at remediation. The crops we use become the feedstock for nanocellulose coatings and bio-based pigments, building a bridge between soil health and sustainable materials.
- Dual Modelling approach: Our modelling team at IDENER composed of Akanksha Mishra and Victoria Caballero, will combine genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) to decode plant-microbe teamwork with a Virtual Replication Tool (VRT) that lets us simulate, track, and optimize phytoremediation and biomass valorization at real-world scale.
- Precision Meets Scalability: pHYBi’s unique “macro and fine-scale” modelling means we can tailor strategies down to specific soils and microbial-friendly plants. Afterward we can scale these solutions up across regions, making bioremediation not just possible, but practical for industry.
Zooming In and Zooming Out: Why Scale Matters
It is safe to say one of the pillars of pHYBi’s approach is its dual perspective. We zoom out to model the big picture of landscapes, climate, and potential yields. Then we zoom in, right down to the plant root and microbial neighbor level. The payoff? A healthy yield of biomass that’s pollution-free and packed with lignocellulose – the stuff of bio-based products that make circularity more than just a buzzword.
pHYBi’s closed-loop system answers directly to the European Commission’s call for low-carbon, resource-smart, circular solutions.
Cluster Power: Teaming Up for European Impact
A major theme at EBC-IX was working smarter, not harder. Akanksha Mishra joined fellow innovators at the EU Bioremediation Cluster’s “All4Biorem” (Link) session to discuss:
- How knowledge exchange between projects can advance R&D so that model-driven, data-collecting approaches build on what came before. This way no effort wasted, no data duplicated!
- The importance of building and sharing an open database of monitoring data, microbial resources, and proven technologies.
- The critical connection between converting “waste” biomass from remediated fields into high-value products – delivering on Europe’s pledges for low carbon, sustainable, circular solutions.
The Big Picture: Science for Impact
What‘s next? With ongoing tests in Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, and Germany, we’re boosting both biomass yield and quality, tracking how industrial crops thrive under stress, and fine-tuning our process for maximum contaminant removal and material value. Akanksha Mishra and her team will continue to work on the modelling tool, with the goal of making phytoremediation strategies more efficient, scalable and transferable
Looking Ahead: Collaboration, Circularity, and Real-World Results
As the conference wrapped under the Cretan sun, one thing was clear: the future of bioremediation is brighter, bolder, and more connected than ever. With new partnerships, shared databases, and a shared mission to make science work for people and planet, pHYBi is right at the heart of Europe’s soil revolution.
Read the ALL4Biorem Cluster Postions Paper here: BIoremediation-position-paper_ALL4BIOREM_OK.pdf and stay tuned for more stories from the front lines of soil science – and follow pHYBi as we bring sustainable innovation to fields (and conferences) across the continent!