Simon Klaes

Curriculum Vitae

Research

My research focuses on the microbial transformation of mobile halogenated aromatic compounds in redox gradients of urban hyporheic zones. Among these compounds are highly consumed pharmaceuticals like sitagliptin, diclofenac, hydrochlorothiazide, and lamotrigine which are only poorly removed by municipal wastewater treatment plants. Thus, they might accumulate in partially closed urban water cycles like the Berlin water system. However, the hyporheic zone, located at the upper part of a river bed, is a highly active natural bioreactor referred to as the river's liver. Steep redox gradients in the zone provide diverse conditions for the transformation of chemicals which can be particularly valuable if the mineralization of a compound needs sequential transformation steps under different redox conditions. Hence, I hypothesize that the hyporheic zone significantly contributes to the transformation of mobile halogenated aromatics. To investigate transformation processes and corresponding microbial communities, I use mass spectrometry and protein-based stable isotope probing.