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Abstract

We aimed to investigate biofouling characteristics on the surfaces of adsorbents and reservoirs used for lithium recovery from seawater. Three types of adsorbents (type 1, 2 m sphere-shaped; type 2, 2 mm circular; and type 3, 2 mm rod-shaped) and a reservoir (polyurethane sponge) were immersed in seawater for 30 days. Biofouling on the surface of adsorbents and the reservoir was initiated by Vibrio, Alteromonas, and Pseudoalteromonas, suggesting that primary colonization of Gammaproteobacteria was an important feature of the biofouling on the surface. We observed pore size-dependent bacterial composition on the adsorbents; only Alteromonas was found on type 1 adsorbent, while Vibrio was mainly identified on types 2 and 3 on day 15; these were succeeded by Alteromonas over time. The bacterial composition of adsorbents wrapped in a reservoir was similar to that of the reservoir over time. CLSM and SEM images showed that bacterial distribution on surfaces strongly depended on the shape of the adsorbent.

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