Electrobiotechnology
Team-leader
Dr. Benjamin Korth
Deputy group leader and team-leader
Thermodynamics of electroactive microorganisms
Scientists
Dr. Micjel Chávez Morejón
Dr. Paniz Izadi
Dr. Katharina Röhring (on maternity leave)
Dr. Fabian Brandenburg (50%)
PhD Students
Maliheh Abdollahi Mirabadi
Shabnam Pouresmaeil (DBFZ)
Yvonne Schößow
Aykut Kas
Technicians
Anne Kuchenbuch
Cornelia Dilßner
Angelika Wichmann
Philip Haus
Undergraduates & Guests
Florian Fischer (Leipzig University)
Chiara Langer (Hiwi, Leipzig University)
Daniel Fischer (Leipzig University)
Part of a vibrant international community
Research Topics
The group is active in the following areas:
- Development of new bioelectrotechnological processes
- Bioelectrochemical steering of microbial cultures
- Study of the microbial ecology of electroactive microbial cultures
- Development of new methods and protocols in the field
- Fancy ad hoc projects (related to microbiology and/ or electrochemistry)
Current third-party-funded projects
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
"KMU-innovativ - KMUi-BÖ05: PHeaMOEZ - Plattform zum Hochdurchsatzscreening für elektrochemisch aktive Mikroorganismen und von Enzymen für die effiziente und langzeitstabile Biokatalyse; TP 3"
Coordinator: Sciospec Scientific Instruments GmbH
Partner: Universität Leipzig
PI: F. Harnisch
Funding period: 05/2023 - 04/2026 - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Plug-n-Syn: Einfache, modulare und skalierbare Reaktoren für die stromgetriebene Biosynthese
PI: F. Harnisch
Funding period: 10/2022 - 09/2023 - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Priority Programme SPP2240: eBiotech
ESCAPE: Establishing a scalable bioprocess reactor platform for cathodic obligate anaerobic electrobiosynthesis
PI: F. Harnisch
Partner und Coordinator for tandem project: Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research (Prof. Dr. M. A. Rosenbaum)
Funding period: 07/2021 - 06/2024
Link (external) - European Union (EU)
VIVALDI: innoVative bIo-based chains for CO2 VALorisation as aDded-value organIc acids
PI: F. Harnisch
Coordinator: Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona - UAB (Spanien)
Partner: VERTECH (France), VITO (Belgium), CO2 Value Europe AISBL (Belgium), ISLE (The Netherlands), Universität für Bodenkultur Wien - BOKU (Austria), Lula Tekniska Universitet - LTU (Sweden), Avantium Chemicals BV (The Netherlands), LEITAT (Spaain), SunPine AB (Sweden), Bioagra S.A. (Poland)
Estrella de Levante S.A.U. (Spain), Processium (France), Nutrition Sciences (Belgium)
Funding period: 06/2021 - 05/2025
Link (external) - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) - CO2WIN
GAMES - Gas diffusion electrodes for coupled microbial-electrochemical syntheses from CO2
PI für TP 5: Halophilic microbial electrosynthesis: F. Harnisch
Coordinator: Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen - THM (Prof. Dr. D. Holtmann)
Partner: DECHEMA-Forschungsinstitut - DFI, Gesellschaft für Gassysteme durch Katalyse und Elektrochemie mbH - Gaskatel, ifn Forschungs- u. Technologiezentrum GmbH
Funding period: 04/2021 - 03/2025
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) - VIP+
MolkeKraft: Microbial-electrochemical exploitation of sour whey for the production of drop-in aviation fuel
PI: F. Harnisch
Partner: Tübingen University (Prof. Dr. L.T. Angenent)
Funding period: 05/2019 - 12/2022 - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) - ERANETMED
WAFRA - Wireless Aquaponic Farming in Remote Areas: A smart adaptive socio-economic solution
PI: F. Harnisch
Partner: Ain Shams University (Egypt, Coordination), National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (Egypt), The University of Tunis El Manar (Tunesia), University of Girona (Spain), University of Salerno (Italy)
Funding period: 11/2018 - 02/2021 - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
BioFAVOR II – Entwicklung und Evaluierung einer mobilen Demonstrationsanlage für die dezentrale Verwertung menschlicher Fäkalien
PIs: T. Hübner & F. Harnisch (Host)
Funding period: 04/2018 - 09/2020 - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
ElektroPapier - Entwicklung papierbasierter Elektroden für die mikrobielle elektrochemische Abwasserreinigung
Work package 5: Microbial analyis
PIs: F. Harnisch & S. Müller
Partners: EnviroChemie (Coordinator), FuMATech GmbH, Koehler Greiz GmbH & Co KG, Graphit Kropfmühl GmbH, Papiertechnische Stiftung, TU Braunschweig (IÖNC und ISWW),
Funding period: 05/2016 - 12/2019 - The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Award Biotechnology 2020+
PI: F. Harnisch
Funding period: 11/2012 - 12/2018 - The Helmholtz-Association and the UFZ
Helmholtz Young Investigators Group
PI: F. Harnisch
Funding period: 11/2012 - 12/2018 - German Environmental Foundation (DBU)
Microbial Bioelectrotechnology: A plattform-initiative for Germany
PIs: F. Harnisch, M. A.-Rosenbaum (RWTH Aachen), U. Schröder (TU Braunschweig)
Funding period: 10/2013 - 12/2018 - Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
BioFAVOR: Entwicklung einer mobilen Anlage zur Erzeugung von Biokohle aus Fäkalschlamm
PIs: T. Hübner & F. Harnisch (Host)
Funding period: 09/2016 - 05/2017 - The Helmholtz-Association and the UFZ - Helmholtz-PostDoc-Fellowship
Development of a platform for the visualization and analysis of electroactive microbial biofilms
Fellow: G. Schkolnik
Hosts: F. Harnisch and N. Musat
Funding period: 10/2014 - 06/2016 - Electrochemical Society (ECS)
A Fully Cardboard Based Microbial Fuel Cell
PI: F. Harnisch
Partners: DBFZ, TU Braunschweig
Funding period: 07/2015 - 01/2016