Andreas Schönborn

Personal profile

Management role

Head, Ecological Engineering Group

Position at the ZHAW

Lecturer and Researcher

Expertise and research interests

The focus of my work is Ecological Engineering, as defined by IEES (www.iees.ch): "Ecological Engineering integrates ecological principles, processes and organisms with existing engineering practice to a holistic approach for problem-solving". Since Sep. 2016 I am, together with Raffael Kaenzig, co-president of IEES.

Since 2007, I have been teaching this approach to prospective environmental engineers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, for example in the module "Ecotechnologies" (6 ECTS), in the master module "Ecological Engineering & Renewable Energy", as well as through direct supervision of > 100 BSc and MSc students.

On the research side, my first focus is on the behavior of micropollutants in recycled water and water cycle systems, with a focus on estrogenic and genotoxic pollutants. Since 2009, I have been active in the development of effects-based bioassays.

My second research focus is on the production and application of tailored biochar as an element of the circular economy. Since 2017, we have been operating our own research pyrolysis plant for this purpose. A main focus - in the context of ecological sanitation - has been the pyrolysis of fecal matter and other organic wastes, and the reuse of biochar produced from them.

Professional milestones

Dec. 2017 Co-founder planar4 GmbH (ZHAW Spinoff), www.planar4.ch
since Aug. 2017 Head Ecological Engineering Group
since 2016 Co-president International Ecological Engineering Society
since 2013 Lecturer and researcher
2014-2020 Head of major Renewable Energies and Ecological Engineering
2012-2017 Head Wetlands group
since 2007 Research Associate at ZHAW Waedenswil
2000-2007 Self employed, Director armadillo media gmbh, Lucerne
1999-2013 Editor & author of www.iees.ch

Membership of networks

• International Ecological Engineering Society IEES (Co-president)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie
• COST Action CA17133 - Circular City (Member of working group 3 "Resource Recovery")
• 
  Charnet - Schweizer Fachverband für Pflanzenkohle
  
• VaLoo - Netzwerk für kreislauffähige Sanitärsysteme Schweiz

Projects

• Evaluations-Methoden zum Monitoring der Qualität von häuslichem Recycling- bzw. Grauwasser / Team member / Project ongoing
• Green!Tea: Renewable Energy for the Vietnamese tea sector / Deputy project leader / Project ongoing
• Development of multi-functional, modular green wall systems with 3D rapid prototyping for circular cities / Team member / Project ongoing
• SWEET Prestudy Biochar / Project leader / Project completed
• Casa Circolo - Direktrecycling von Grauwasser am Beispiel KREIS-Haus / Deputy project leader / Project completed
• Pyrolyse von mit Kunststoff verunreinigtem Holz aus der Grüngutsammlung / Project leader / Project completed
• Biomasse aus Agroforst / Team member / Project completed
• BIOBOS – Vorstudie zur Langzeitwirkung von Biokohle im Boden / Team member / Project completed
• FEET – Hydrothermal carbonization as a sustainable solution for faecal waste treatment / Team member / Project completed
• Ecological Engineering Living Lab / Team member / Project completed
• Innovative Kohle aus Grüngut / Project leader / Project completed
• Wiesenschwein - das Zukunftsschwein / Deputy project leader / Project completed
• Kreislaufwirtschaft Landwirtschaft / Team member / Project completed
• Local Water Loop / Team member / Project completed
• Biochar for urban Trees / Team member / Project completed
• Entwicklung eines neuen Testverfahrens zur Bestimmung von Hormonen in Fischzuchten / Project leader / Project completed
• Biofilter II - Prüfstand für Filter zur biologischen Wasseraufbereitung von Badegewässern / Team member / Project completed
• planar-YES Profile / Project leader / Project completed
• planar-YES - neuartiges Testsystem auf estrogene Wirkung in Umwelt- und Lebensmittelproben / Project leader / Project completed

Publications

• Bergmann, Alan J.; Breitenbach, Milena; Muñoz, Celine; Simon, Eszter; McCombie, Gregor; Biedermann, Maurus; Schönborn, Andreas; Vermeirssen, Etiënne L.M.,

  2023.

  Towards detecting genotoxic chemicals in food packaging at thresholds of toxicological concern using bioassays with high-performance thin-layer chromatography.

  Food Packaging and Shelf Life.

  36(101052).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2023.101052

• Saluz, Andrea Gion; Bleuler, Mira; Krähenbühl, Nikita; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2022.

  Quality and suitability of fecal biochar in structurally stable urban tree substrates.

  Science of the Total Environment.

  838, Part 3(156236).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156236

• van Hullebusch, Eric D.; Bani, Aida; Carvalho, Miguel; Cetecioglu, Zeynep; De Gusseme, Bart; Di Lonardo, Sara; Djolic, Maja; van Eekert, Miriam; Griessler Bulc, Tjasa; Haznedaroglu, Berat Z.; Istenic, Darja; Kisser, Johannes; Krzeminski, Pawel; Melita, Sanna; Pavlova, Dolja; Plaza, Elzbieta; Schoenborn, Andreas; Thomas, Geraldine; Vaccari, Mentore; Wirth, Maria; Hartl, Marco; Zeeman, Grietje,

  2021.

  Nature-based units as building blocks for resource recovery systems in cities.

  Water.

  13(22), pp. 3153.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223153

• Bühler, Devi; Antenen, Nadine; Frei, Matthias; Koller, Christoph; Rousseau, Diederik P. L.; Schönborn, Andreas; Junge, Ranka,

  2021.

  Towards water and energy self-sufficiency : a closed-loop, solar-driven, low-tech laundry pilot facility (LaundReCycle) for the reuse of laundry wastewater.

  Circular Economy and Sustainability.

  1(3), pp. 1037-1051.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00077-2

• Dale, Glenn; Dotro, Gabriela; Srivastava, Puneet; Austin, David; Hutchinson, Stacy; Head, Peter; Goonetilleke, Ashanta; Stefanakis, Alexandros; Junge, Ranka; Fernandez, José A.; Weyer, Vanessa; Truter, Wayne; Bühler, Devi; Bennett, John; Liu, Hongbo; Li, Zifu; Du, Jianqiang; Schneider, Petra; Hack, Jochen; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2021.

  Education in ecological engineering : a need whose time has come.

  Circular Economy and Sustainability.

  1(1), pp. 333-373.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00067-4

• Schönborn, Andreas; Junge, Ranka,

  2021.

  Redefining ecological engineering in the context of circular economy and sustainable development.

  Circular Economy and Sustainability.

  1(1), pp. 375-394.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00023-2

• Bleuler, Mira; Gold, Moritz; Strande, Linda; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2020.

  Pyrolysis of dry toilet substrate as a means of nutrient recycling in agricultural systems : potential risks and benefits.

  Waste and Biomass Valorization.

  2020(12), pp. 4171-4183.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01220-0

• Bergmann, Alan J.; Simon, Eszter; Schifferli, Andrea; Schönborn, Andreas; Vermeirssen, Etiënne L. M.,

  2020.

  Estrogenic activity of food contact materials : evaluation of 20 chemicals using a yeast estrogen screen on HPTLC or 96-well plates.

  Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

  412(19), pp. 4527-4536.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-02701-w

• Kisser, Johannes; Wirth, Maria; De Gusseme, Bart; Van Eekert, Miriam; Zeeman, Grietje; Schönborn, Andreas; Vinnerås, Björn; Finger, David C.; Kolbl Repinc, Sabina; Bulc, Tjaša Griessler; Bani, Aida; Pavlova, Dolja; Staicu, Lucian C.; Atasoy, Merve; Cetecioglu, Zeynep; Kokko, Marika; Haznedaroglu, Berat Z.; Hansen, Joachim; Istenič, Darja; Canga, Eriona; Malamis, Simos; Camilleri-Fenech, Margaret; Beesley, Luke,

  2020.

  A review of nature-based solutions for resource recovery in cities.

  Blue-Green Systems.

  2(1).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2020.930

• Gold, Moritz; Cunningham, Michael; Bleuler, Mira; Arnheiter, Ruth; Schönborn, Andreas; Niwagaba, Charles; Strande, Linda,

  2018.

  Operating parameters for three resource recovery options from slow-pyrolysis of faecal sludge.

  Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development.

  8(4).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2018.009

• Schönborn, Andreas; Schmid, Pascal; Bräm, Sarah; Reifferscheid, Georg; Ohlig, Marina; Buchinger, Sebastian,

  2017.

  Unprecedented sensitivity of the planar yeast estrogen screen by using a spray-on technology.

  Journal of Chromatography A.

  1530, pp. 185-191.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2017.11.009

• Schönborn, Andreas; Kunz, Petra; Koster, Margie,

  2015.

  Estrogenic activity in drainage water : a field study on a Swiss cattle pasture.

  Environmental Sciences Europe.

  27(17).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-015-0047-4

• Schönborn, Andreas; Grimmer, Andrea Adelheid,

  2013.

  Coupling sample preparation with effect-directed analysis of estrogenic activity : proposal for a new rapid screening concept for water samples.

  Journal of Planar Chromatography - Modern TLC.

  26(5), pp. 402-408.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1556/JPC.26.2013.5.3

• Schönborn, Andreas; Saluz, Andrea Gion,

  2021.

  Biochar in city tree substrates : an element for closing water and nutrient cycles in cities? [paper].

  In:

  Mugellini, Elena; Carpanzano, Emanuele, eds.,

  Proceedings of the 2nd FTAL Conference 2021 Sustainable Smart Cities and Regions.

  FTAL Conference 2021 – Sustainable smart cities and regions, Lugano, Switzerland, 28-29 October 2021.

  CEUR Workshop Proceedings.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-26783

• Merki, Rebekka; Schönborn, Andreas; Pihan, Lisa-Anna-Maria; Wolfram, Evelyn,

  2019.

  Screening for active substances with TLC bioautography : challenges with artefacts [poster].

  In:

  12th BioDetectors Conference 2019 : Abstract book.

  12th BioDetectors Conference 2019, Vienna, Austria, 26-27 September 2019.

  Vienna:

  BioDetection Systems.

• Brüll, A.; van Bohemen, H.; Costanza, R.; Mitsch, W. J.; van den Boomen, R.; Chaudhuri, N.; Heeb, J.; Jenssen, P.; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2011.

  Benefits of ecological engineering practices [paper].

  In:

  International Congress Ecological Engineering: from Concepts to Applications, Paris, France, 2-4 December 2009.

  Elsevier.

  pp. 16-20.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2011.11.004

• Bühler, Devi; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2021.

  Das KREIS-Haus : die grosse Kreislaufvision im Miniformat.

  Transfer.

  2021(2), pp. 12.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-24755

• Bergmann, Alan; Simon, Eszter; Schifferli, Andrea; Schönborn, Andreas; Vermeirssen, Etienne,

  2020.

  Comparison of yeast estrogen screening on HPTLC and in microtiter plates.

  Camag Bibliography Service.

  125(2), pp. 14-15.

  Available from: https://www.camag.com/article/comparison-yeast-estrogen-screening-hptlc-and-microtiter-plates

• Bergman, Alan J.; Simon, Eszter; Schifferli, Andrea; Vermeirssen, Etienne; Schönborn, Andreas,

  2018.

  Performance of measuring estrogenicity with planar-YES compared to 96-well plate YES [poster].

  In:

  SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting, Rome, Italy, 13-17 May 2018.

• Schönborn, Andreas; Mainetti, Tamara,

  2018.

  How effect-based activity profiling can contribute to safer irrigation water : the example of the planar-YES [paper].

  In:

  Proceedings Xenowac II - Challenges and Solutions Related to Xenobiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Framewaork of Urban Wastewater Reuse.

  XENOWAC II, Limassol, Cyprus, 10-12 October 2018.

• Schönborn, Andreas; Bleuler, Mira,

  2017.

  Biochar-based life support loop (SpaceLooP).

  Wädenswil:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-3480

• Sennhauser, Dieter; Schönborn, Andreas; Grimmer, Andrea Adelheid; Mainetti, Tamara; Durisch-Kaiser, Edith,

  2017.

  Der Östrogenisierung der Umwelt auf der Spur : Wirkprofile östrogen-aktiver Substanzen in kommunalem Abwasser.

  Aqua & Gas.

  2017(5), pp. 64-71.

• Köster, Oliver; Schubert-Ulrich, Patricia; Schönborn, Andreas; Schulz, Wolfgang,

  2016.

  OXISCREEN – Wirkungsbezogene Analytik : zur Detektion von Reaktionsprodukten bei der Trinkwasseraufbereitung mit O3, O3/H2O2 und CL2/CLO2.

  Aqua & Gas.

  2016(12), pp. 32-41.

• Schönborn, Andreas,

  2016.

  Umwelt im Herzen, Gebäude im Fokus : die neue Vertiefung Erneuerbare Energien und Ökotechnologie.

  IUNR intern.

  2016(1), pp. 6-7.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-7251

• Schönborn, Andreas,

  2015.

  Feurige Schüssel : vom Amazonas zum Null-Abfall-Klo.

  IUNR intern.

  2015(2), pp. 22-23.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-3777

• Hebler, Thomas; Schönborn, Andreas; Bally, Andreas,

  2012.

  Naturnahes Wasserrecycling im Zoo Zürich : leistungsfähigkeit eines bepflanzten Sandfilters.

  Aqua & Gas.

  2012(10), pp. 62-69.

• Schönborn, Andreas,

  2012.

  Östrogene aus der Nutztierhaltung.

  Oekotoxzentrum News.

  2012(4), pp. 4-5.

• Graber, Andreas; Schönborn, Andreas; Junge, Ranka,

  2011.

  Closing water, nutrient and energy cycles within cities by urban farms for fish and vegetable production.

  IWA Specialist Group on Use of Macrophytes in Water Pollution Control: Newsletter.

  2011(37), pp. 37-41.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-1619

• Schönborn, Andreas,

  2007.

  Stensund wastewater aquaculture : what can we learn from it today?.

  EcoEng Newsletter.

  2007(9).

• Schönborn, Andreas; Bulant, Nicola,

  2015.

  Biochar from human waste : steps towards a new sanitation approach.

  In:

  15th Annual Meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society, Stillwater, 3-5 June 2015.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

C. Pahl-Wostl, A. Schönborn, N. Willi, J. Muncke, T.A. Larsen, 2003, Investigating consumer attitudes towards the new technology of urine separation, Water Science & Technology Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 57–65

Schlumpf, C., Pahl-Wostl, C., Schönborn, A., Jaeger, C.J. and Imboden, D. (2001). IMPACTS – An Information Tool for Citizens to Assess Impacts of Climate Change from a Regional Perspective. Climate Change 51, 199–241

R.Ch. Billeter, B. Züst, A. Schönborn, 1998, Switzerland, in: Constructed Wetlands in Europe, J. Vymazal, H. Brix, P.F. Cooper, M.B. Green, R. Haberl (eds.), Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands

A. Schönborn, B. Züst, E. Underwood, 1997, Long Term Perfomance of the Sand-Plant Filter Schattweid (Switzerland), Water Science & Technology Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 307-314

J. Staudenmann, A. Schönborn, C. Etnier, 1996, Recycling the Resource – Ecological Engineering for Wastewater Treatment (Proceedings), Transtec Publications

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