Harald Horn
Papers
2
Total Citations
36
H-Index
2
About
Harald Horn is a leading figure in environmental biotechnology, whose research centers on the intricate world of biofilms and their application in wastewater treatment. His major contributions lie in developing advanced, automated systems to unravel the complex behavior of these microbial communities. Notably, Horn pioneered the use of microfluidic model systems to study the enrichment of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) under feast/famine regimes, directly mimicking the conditions found in aerobic granular sludge reactors—a key technology for sustainable water purification. To overcome the challenge of studying biofilms in real-time, he introduced an open-source robotic platform that uses optical coherence tomography for automated, high-resolution monitoring of replicate biofilm cultivations. This innovation allows researchers to systematically link cultivation conditions to biofilm structure and function. With his most-cited works accumulating over 18 citations each, Horn’s impact is evident in providing the fundamental tools and mechanistic understanding needed to optimize biological nutrient removal processes, making him a pivotal figure in the transition towards more efficient and compact wastewater treatment technologies.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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