Dr. Anja Miltner
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Department of Environmental Biotechnology
Permoserstraße 15
D-04318 Leipzig, Germany
Tel.: +49 341 235 1763
Fax: +49 341 235 1471
anja.miltner@ufz.de
Areas of Expertise & Research
My research focuses on the transformation of organic compounds (both natural and anthropogenic) in complex environmental systems, particular in soils. I am using incubation experiments with isotopically (both radioactive and stable) labelled compounds to trace the fate of selected compounds and to reveal microbial processes in soil. I am particularly interested in
- heterotrophic CO2 fixation by soil microorganisms
- contribution of microbial biomass to the formation of soil organic matter
- reasons and consequences of limited bioavailability of xenobiotics in soil for risk assessment
- effects of changing redox potential and water contents on the transformation of organic compounds
Curriculum Vitae
Since 2004
Senior Scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
2003-2004
parental leave
2000-2003
PostDoc at the Department of Bioremediation of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig Germany
1997-2000
PostDoc at the Department of Marine Geology (Prof. Dr. Kay-Christian Emeis) at the Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde, Germany
1992-1997
Ph.D in Geoecology/Soil Science at the Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zech) of the University of Bayreuth, Germany
1985-1991
Study of Geoecology at the Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zech) of the University of Bayreuth, Germany
Projects
2000-2009
"Mass balance of microbial biomass contribution to the formation of refractory soil organic matter using isotope tracer techniques – (cells, cell components,CO2, and NH4) (BIOREFRAK) in the framework of the DFG priority program 1090 "Soils as source and sink for CO2 - mechanisms and regulation of organic matter stabilization in soils"
2007-2011
"Risk Assessment and Environmental Safety Affected by Compound Bioavailability in Multiphase Environments" (
RAISEBIO), a Marie Curie EST action funded by the EU (FP6)
2007-2010
"Dynamic (redox) interfaces in soil - Carbon turnover in microbial food webs and impact on soil organic matter (
DynaCARB) in the framework of the DFG priority program 1315 "Biogeochemical Interfaces in Soils"
2008-2012
Model Driven Soil Probing, Site Assessment and Evaluation (MODELProbe), funded by the EU (FP7)
Memberships
- Verband für Geoökologie in Deutschland
- Deutsche Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft
Publications
Recent publications
- Altenburger, R., Berns, A.E., Bittens, M., Brack, W., Burauel, P., Centler, F., Daus, B., Goss, K.-U., Harms, H., Kopinke, F.-D., Kühnel, D., Liess, M., Mackenzie, K., Miltner, A., Thullner, M., Wennrich, R., Wick, L.Y., (2010):
Chemicals in the environment (CITE). Report of the First Annual Conference of the Helmholtz research topic CITE
UWSF-Z.Umweltchem.Ökotox. 22 (4), 502 - 506
full text (url) - Ekschmitt, K., Kandeler, E., Poll, C., Brune, A., Buscot, F., Friedrich, M., Gleixner, G., Hartmann, A., Kästner, M., Marhan, S., Miltner, A., Scheu, S., Wolters, V., (2008):
Soil carbon preservation through habitat constraints and biological limitations on decomposer activity
J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 171 (1), 27 - 35
full text (url) - Geyer, R., Peacock, A.D., Miltner, A., Richnow, H.H., White, D.C., Sublette, K.L., Kästner, M., (2005):
In situ assessment of biodegradation potential using biotraps amended with 13C-labeled benzene or toluene
Environ. Sci. Technol. 39 (13), 4983 - 4989
full text (url) - Girardi, C., Greve, J., Lamshöft, M., Fetzer, I., Miltner, A., Schäffer, A., Kästner, M., (2011):
Biodegradation of ciprofloxacin in water and soil and its effects on the microbial communities
J. Hazard. Mater. 198 , 22 - 30
full text (url) - Girardi, C., Greve, J., Lamshöft, M., Miltner, A., Schäffer, A., Kästner, M., (2011):
Biodegradation of ciprofloxacin and its effect on microbial communities in soil and water systems
J. Hazard. Mater. 198 , 22 - 30
full text (url) - Hofmann, A., Heim, A., Christensen, B.T., Miltner, A., Gehre, M., Schmidt, M.W.I., (2009):
Lignin dynamics in two 13C-labelled arable soils during 18 years
Eur. J. Soil Sci. 60 (2), 250 - 257
full text (url) - Hofmann, A., Heim, A., Gioacchini, P., Miltner, A., Gehre, M., Schmidt, M.W.I., (2009):
Mineral fertilization did not affect decay of old lignin and SOC in a 13C-labeled arable soil over 36 years
Biogeosciences 6 (7), 1139 - 1148
full text (url) - Kästner, M., Miltner, A., Bombach, P., Schmidt-Brucken, B., (2009):
"Death in soil" or what can we learn from groundwater for the genesis of soil organic matter
Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 73 (13), A612 - A612
full text (url) - Kindler, R., Miltner, A., Richnow, H.H., Kästner, M., (2006):
Fate of gram-negative bacterial biomass in soil-mineralization and contribution to SOM
Soil Biol. Biochem. 38 (9), 2860 - 2870
full text (url) - Kindler, R., Miltner, A., Thullner, M., Richnow, H.H., Kästner, M., (2009):
Fate of bacterial biomass derived fatty acids in soil and their contribution to soil organic matter
Org. Geochem. 40 (1), 29 - 37
full text (url) - Lammirato, C., Miltner, A., Kästner, M., (2011):
Effects of wood char and activated carbon on the hydrolysis of cellobiose by β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger
Soil Biol. Biochem. 43 (9), 1936 - 1942
full text (url) - Lammirato, C., Miltner, A., Wick, L.Y., Kästner, M., (2010):
Hydrolysis of cellobiose by ß-glucosidase in the presence of soil minerals - Interactions at solid-liquid interfaces and effects on enzyme activity levels
Soil Biol. Biochem. 42 (12), 2203 - 2210
full text (url) - Loick-Wilde, N., Dutz, J., Miltner, A., Gehre, M., Montoya, J.P., Voss, M., (2012):
Incorporation of nitrogen from N2 fixation into amino acids of zooplankton
Limnol. Oceanogr. 57 (1), 199 - 210
full text (url) - Lueders, T., Kindler, R., Miltner, A., Friedrich, M.W., Kästner, M., (2006):
Identification of bacterial micropredators distinctively active in a soil microbial food web
Appl. Environ. Microb. 72 (8), 5342 - 5348
full text (url) - Miltner, A., Bombach, P., Schmidt-Brücken, B., Kästner, M., (2012):
SOM genesis: microbial biomass a significant source
Biogeochemistry 111 (1-3), 41 - 55
full text (url) - Miltner, A., Emeis, K.C., Struck, U., Leipe, T., Voss, M., (2005):
Terrigenous organic matter in Holocene sediments from the central Baltic Sea, NW Europe
Chem. Geol. 216 (3-4), 313 - 328
full text (url) - Miltner, A., Kindler, R., Kästner, M., (2007):
Contribution of bacterial biomass components to the formation of refractory soil organic matter
Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71 (15), A668 - Miltner, A., Kindler, R., Knicker, H., Richnow, H.H., Kästner, M., (2009):
Fate of microbial biomass-derived amino acids in soil and their contribution to soil organic matter
Org. Geochem. 40 (9), 978 - 985
full text (url) - Miltner, A., Kopinke, F.-D., Kindler, R., Selesi, D., Hartmann, A., Kästner, M., (2005):
Non-phototrophic CO2 fixation by soil microorganisms
Plant Soil 269 (1-2), 193 - 203
full text (url) - Miltner, A., Richnow, H.H., Kopinke, F.-D., Kästner, M., (2005):
Incorporation of carbon originating from CO2 into different compounds of soil microbial biomass and soil organic matter
Isot. Environ. Health Stud. 41 (2), 135 - 140 - Neumann, G., Kabelitz, N., Zehnsdorf, A., Miltner, A., Lippold, H., Meyer, D., Schmid, A., Heipieper, H.-J., (2005):
Prediction of the adaptability of Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E to a second phase of a solvent for economically sound two-phase biotransformations
Appl. Environ. Microb. 71 (11), 6606 - 6612
full text (url) - Nowak, K. M., Miltner, A., Gehre, M., Schäffer, A., Kästner, M., (2011):
Formation and fate of bound residues from microbial biomass during 2,4-D degradation in soil
Environ. Sci. Technol. 45 (3), 999 - 1006
full text (url) - Wick, L.Y., Buchholz, F., Fetzer, I., Kleinsteuber, S., Härtig, C., Shi, L., Miltner, A., Harms, H., Pucci, G.N., (2010):
Responses of soil microbial communities to weak electric fields
Sci. Total Environ. 408 (20), 4886 - 4893
full text (url)
