Our research
Chemical and microbiological batch incubations.
Experiments with site soil and groundwater.
Column experiments.
Adaptation of the particle suspension to sites
Further development of nano- and microparticles for the aquifer remediation
State of the art particle and pollutant analysis
In our laboratory in Leipzig, a dedicated team of chemists, biologists, soil scientists, and geologists works to further develop our nano- and microparticles. In this way, we are able to improve and adapt them to sites on a customised basis.
Within the scope of national and international research projects, we are also constantly developing new materials to fight pollutants for which a solution has not yet been found. To this end, we work together with leading developers in this field and publish in the most prestigious journals.
With nanoparticles, we create an immobilized reactive zone through which the contaminated aquifer flows. This is the principle we know from permeable reactive barriers, but without the need for excavation work.
– Dr. Katrin Mackenzie, Senior Scientist, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ
Current publications
Tosco T, Bosch J, Meckenstock RU, Sethi R. 2012. Transport of ferrihydrite nanoparticles in saturated porous media: role of ionic strength and flow rate. Environmental Science & Technology (46) 4008-4015 – Link
Braunschweig J, Bosch J, Heister K, Meckenstock RU. 2013. Iron oxide nanoparticles in geomicrobiology: from biogeochemistry to bioremediation. New Biotechnology (30). 793-802 – Link
Höss S, Fritzsche A, Meyer C, Bosch J, Meckenstock RU, Totsche KU. 2015. Size- and Composition-Dependent Toxicity of Synthetic and Soil-Derived Fe Oxide Colloids for the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Environmental Science and Technology (49). 544−552 – Link
Mackenzie K, Bleyl S, Kopinke FD, Doose H, Bruns J. 2016. Carbo-Iron as improvement of the nanoiron technology: From laboratory design to the field test. Science of the Total Environment. 641-648 – Link
Nguyen NHA, Von Moosb NR, Slaveykovab VI, Mackenzie K, Meckenstock RU, Thuemmler S, Bosch J, Sevcu A. 2018. Biological effects of four iron-containing nanoremediation materials on the green alga Chlamydomonas sp.. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 36–44 – Link
Gawel A, Seiwert B, Suehnholz S, Schmitt-Jansen M, Mackenzie K. 2020. In-situ treatment of herbicide-contaminated groundwater – Feasibility study for the cases atrazine and bromacil using two novel nanoremediation-type materials. Journal of Hazardous Materials (393). – Link