Laura Schwab
Contact
Laura Schwab
PhD student
Aquifer Biogeochemistry Group
Permoserstraße 15
04318 Leipzig
+49 341235 1418
+49 341235 1340
laura.schwab@ufz.de

Project
To reach governmental goals of reduced climate gas exhaust, technologies for improving the production, storage and distribution of renewable energies are necessary. An example is underground storage of hydrogen (H2) gas or hydrogen-methane (H2-CH4) gas mixtures, which can be produced with excessive renewable energies (Power-to-Gas). Salt caverns have excellent geochemical properties to serve as a short- and long-term underground storage for gases. However, the potential oxidation of stored H2 by lithoautotrophic microorganisms is an important but less studied aspect which is investigated within the HYPOS project H2-UGS. The risk assessment for microbiological processes during H2 storage in salt caverns is covered within this PhD project and in cooperation with Isodect GmbH, Leipzig, and MicroPro GmbH, Gommern.
It is assumed that indigenous sulfate-reducing microorganisms oxidize available H2, and with that produce H2S and other sulfur compounds which in turn lead to corrosion of facility infrastructure and pollution of the gases stored.
The aim of the PhD project is to analyze the microbial community originating from salt caverns. Due to the fact that these storage facilities are artificial and their usage as a gas storage only evolved in recent decades, not much research has been done on microbial structure-function-relationships thereof.
To investigate these microbial communities we study enrichment and pure cultures with stable-isotope probing (SIP, nanoSIMS, ICPMS) and next-generation sequencing technologies.
Students
If you are interested in doing an internship or thesis project, please send your application including CV, earliest starting date and topic of interest via Email.
Curriculum Vitae
Since 01/2019
Phd student
10 - 12/2019
Scientific-technical Assistant
Electrobiotechnology group, UFZ, Leipzig
10/2016 - 09/2018
M.Sc. Biochemistry
University of Leipzig
Thesis: Current in the gut?: baseline investigation on the interaction of electroactive intestinal bacteria Electrobiotechnology group, UFZ Leipzig
9/2017 - 1/2018
Internship
Functional metamining of the human gut microbiome
Reunanen Group, University of Oulu, Finland
4/2015 - 9/2016
Scientific-technical Assistant
Molecular biology of cardiovascular diseases
German Heart Centre, Munich
10/2014 - 3/2015
Scientific-technical Assistant
Biocide restistance in microbial pathogens
Bioanalyitcs, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Coburg
10/2010 - 9/2014
B.Sc. Bioanalytics
University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Coburg, Germany
Publications
2024 (2)
- Khan, M.I., Yoo, K., Schwab, L., Kümmel, S., Nijenhuis, I. (2024):
Characterization of anaerobic biotransformation of hexachlorocyclohexanes by novel microbial consortia enriched from channel and river sediments
J. Hazard. Mater. 476 , art. 135198 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135198 - Löffler, M., Schwab, L., Dethlefsen, F., Lagmöller, L., Vogt, C., Richnow, H.-H. (2024):
Anaerobic dihydrogen consumption of nutrient-limited aquifer sediment microbial communities examined by stable isotope analysis
Isot. Environ. Health Stud. 60 (2), 103 - 121 10.1080/10256016.2024.2306146
2023 (1)
- Schwab, L., Prinsen, L., Nowack, G., Popp, D., Noll, M., Vogt, C., Wagner, M. (2023):
Sulfate reduction and homoacetogenesis at various hypersaline conditions: Implications for H2 underground gas storage
Front. Energy Res. 11 , art. 1125619 10.3389/fenrg.2023.1125619
2022 (2)
- Dai, S., Korth, B., Schwab, L., Aulenta, F., Vogt, C., Harnisch, F. (2022):
Deciphering the fate of sulfate in one- and two-chamber bioelectrochemical systems
Electrochim. Acta 408 , art. 139942 10.1016/j.electacta.2022.139942 - Schwab, L., Popp, D., Nowack, G., Bombach, P., Vogt, C., Richnow, H.H. (2022):
Structural analysis of microbiomes from salt caverns used for underground gas storage
Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 47 (47), 20684 - 20694 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.04.170
2021 (1)
- Metze, D., Popp, D., Schwab, L., Keller, N.-S., Nunes da Rocha, U., Richnow, H.-H., Vogt, C. (2021):
Temperature management potentially affects carbon mineralization capacity and microbial community composition of a shallow aquifer
FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 97 (2), fiaa261 10.1093/femsec/fiaa261
2019 (1)
- Schwab, L., Rago, L., Koch, C., Harnisch, F. (2019):
Identification of Clostridium cochlearium as an electroactive microorganism from the mouse gut microbiome
Bioelectrochemistry 130 , art. 107334 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2019.107334