Dr. Wolfgang Merkle
Dr. Wolfgang Merkle
ZHAW
School of Life Sciences and Facility Management
Fachstelle Biokatalyse und Prozesstechnologie
Müller-Thurgau-Strasse 27
8820 Wädenswil
Experience
- Postdoc
University of Hohenheim, State Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy
03 / 2017 - 12 / 2019 - PhD Student
University of Hohenheim, State Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy
07 / 2013 - 03 / 2017
Education and Continuing education
Education
- Master of Science / Biobased Products and Bioenergy
University of Hohenheim
10 / 2011 - 07 / 2013 - Bachelor of Science / Biobased Products and Bioenergy
University of Hohenheim
10 / 2007 - 09 / 2011
Network
ORCID digital identifier
Social media
Projects
- Biological in-situ methanation / Team member / ongoing
- Micro-biogas plants in Switzerland: Analysis of performance, economic viability, and approval practices of a small-scale biogas system for tiny living concepts and applications in alpine regions under Swiss climate conditions / Deputy project leader / completed
- PURAMMON (Main Project) – Renewable Nitrogen-Mineral Fertiliser from Slurry / Team member / completed
- CarboPHOS – Phosphorous recovery through hydrothermal carbonisation of sewage sludge / Project leader / completed
- CarbonVALUE / Project leader / completed
- CarbonATE - microbiological methanation / Project leader / completed
- HYKOM – Combination of Hygienisation and Hydrolysis as Pretreatment steps for liquid Substrates prior to Anaerobic Digestion. / Team member / completed
Publications
Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed
- Kalbermatten, C. L., Jordan, S., Pothier, J. F., Nägele, H.-J., Smits, T. H. M., & Merkle, W. (2026). Optimizing trickle-bed reactor performance for hydrogenotrophic methane production in power-to-methane systems. Process Biochemistry, 163, 66–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2026.02.010
- Williams, F. P., Harris, P., Tait, S., Mickan, B. S., Merkle, W., Nägele, H.-J., & McCabe, B. K. (2025). Technoeconomic feasibility of integrated organics processing facilities with anaerobic digestion and composting : an analytical framework for regional Australia. Waste Management, 208(115153). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2025.115153
- Holl, E., Steinbrenner, J., Merkle, W., Krümpel, J., Lansing, S., Baier, U., Oechsner, H., & Lemmer, A. (2022). Two-stage anaerobic digestion : state of technology and perspective roles in future energy systems. Bioresource Technology, 360(127633). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127633
- Zhou, L., Hülsemann, B., Cui, Z., Merkle, W., Sponagel, C., Zhou, Y., Guo, J., Dong, R., Müller, J., & Oechsner, H. (2021). Operating performance of full-scale agricultural biogas plants in Germany and China : results of a year-round monitoring program. Applied Sciences, 11(3), 1271. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031271
Publications before appointment at the ZHAW
- Dissertation: Two-stage high pressure anaerobic digestion for biomethane production
- Influence of anaerobic digestion on the labile phosphorus in pig, chicken, and dairy manure
- Influence of Anaerobic Digestion Processes on the Germination of Weed Seeds
- Biomethane Potential Test: Influence of Inoculum and the Digestion System
- Utilization of process liquids with high organic loads in bioelectrochemical systems: Organic degradation rates & current densities
- Integration of membrane filtration in two-stage anaerobic digestion system: Specific methane yield potentials of hydrolysate and permeate
- Development of an innovative two-stage fermentation process for high-calorific biogas at elevated pressure
- Effects of high-pressure anaerobic digestion up to 30 bar on pH-value, production kinetics and specific methane yield
- Influence of pressures up to 50 bar on two-stage anaerobic digestion
- High-pressure anaerobic digestion up to 100 bar: Influence of initial pressure on production kinetics and specific methane yields
- Advanced green biorefining: effects of ensiling treatments on lactic acid production, microbial activity and supplementary methane formation of grass and rye
- Effects of temperature, pH and O2 on the removal of hydrogen sulfide from biogas by external biological desulfurization in a full scale fixed-bed trickling bioreactor (FBTB)
Other publications
Microbial Intervention in Waste Remediation for Bio-Energy Production