Formation of a bacterial consortium with the ability to leach lithium from brines, sediments and waste batteries
Resumen
Lithium is a critical element for the global energy transition, powering rechargeable batteries in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. However, conventional extraction methods are resource-intensive, requiring vast amounts of water and generating harmful pollutants. Bioleaching offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative, leveraging microorganisms to solubilize metals through acidification, ligand secretion, and redox reactions. This project focuses on developing a specialized bacterial consortium isolated from saline environments to recover lithium from unconventional sources while minimizing ecological disruption.
To achieve this, 42 bacterial strains have been isolated through selective enrichment, and 14 highly LiCl-tolerant strains have been identified via tolerance testing. The next step involves evaluating these strains' tolerance to other salts to select the most resilient ones and assemble the consortium. Subsequently, bioleaching assays will be conducted to assess the consortium's efficiency using spectrometry.