Assaying Mutant Marine Bacteria for Lithium Extraction

Lithium (Li) is used in many commercial products. With the recent development of a
potent new lithium battery suitable for hybrid and plug-in electric cars, demand for
lithium should soar. Seawater has low Li ion concentrations, and has not been considered
a profitable commercial source of this element. For my thesis work, I attempted to
develop a mutant strain of the marine bacteria Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae
capable of sequestering lithium from seawater. I expose the bacteria to shortwave ultra
violet (UV) light with the intent of obtaining a lithium dependent mutant. I was not
successful at isolating such a mutant. However, I noted differences in colony size,
between colonies grown in lithium media and sodium media, after UV treatment. Based
on other research, the bacterial recovery methods of lithium and other metals from
seawater remains a plausible option.