Christian Ludwig
Nationality: Swiss
+41 21 693 76 78
Office:
GR A2 424
EPFL › ENAC › IIE › GR-LUD
Website: https://www.psi.ch/cpm
Expertise
- Waste and Bioenergy Technology development
- Synthesis and Characterization (incl. Synchrotron Methods) of Nano-Particle-based materials for biofuel synthesis, gascleaning, and other CleanTech applications
- Development of Analytical Devices and Methods for on-line and in-situ investigations
- Analyzing, Modeling, and Controlling the Fate of Trace Elements and (Nano-)Particles in waste and biofuel applications
- Natural Resources Management
- Recycling of Minerals, Metals (incl. REEs), and Nutrients
Mission
- New materials for resource efficient (energy) technologies
- Controlling the fate of valuable and/or harmful materials
- Recycling, recovery and reuse of raw materials
In this context nanoparticles and nanoobjects, their synthesis, fate, physical-chemical characterization and behavior, are of particular interest.
Environmental sciences and research investigate and describe the natural processes and try to quantify the influence of human activities. From this it is possible to derive the aims for an environmentally sound course of action. Afterwards, implementation on the technological, political and social level is necessary. In coordination with the industrial sector, the authorities issue guidelines and adapt laws. In the past a series of environmental standards have been implemented. However, such improvements are based on state-of-the-art technologies, as they can only be realized under economically acceptable boundary conditions. Often a technological gap remains between the desirable goals and the practicable solutions. It is our mission to fill or at least to minimize such technological gaps.
Current work
* nucleation and crystallization processes *
* size-resolved elemental anaylysis of gasborne nanoparticles *
* sorption processes for the cleaning of gases and fluids *
* recovery of rare earth elements and phosphor from wastes and residues *
* algal biomass and its applications for waste water treatment, biofuels and chemicals *
2000 - today: Head, Group of Chemical Processes and Materials (CPM) at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in the Laboratory for Energy and Materials Cycles (LEM). In 2009 the LEM unit was closed and the CPM group was affiliated to the Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK) of the Energy and Environment Research Division (ENE). In 2023 LBK changed the name to become the Laboratory for Sustainable Energy Carriers and Processes (LEP) and in 2024 PSI has decided to replace the divisions by PSI Centers. CPM is now affiliated to the PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences (CEE). Since June 2002 permanent position ("tenure").
1997 - 1999: Senior Scientist. Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), General Energy Research Department, Element Cycles Section.
1995 - 1997: Research Fellow. Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Department of Resource and Waste Management.
1993 - 1995: Post-doc Fellow. University of California Davis, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources (LAWR).
1990 - 1993: PhD Student. University of Berne, Department of Inorganic, Analytical, and Physical Chemistry.
1989 - 1990: Master Student. University of Berne, Department of Inorganic, Analytical, and Physical Chemistry.
Selected publications
Progress towards the Resource Revolution
Ludwig, Chr. and Valdivia, S. (Eds.)
Published in Book, a publication of World Resources Forum, printed by Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, (2019) - 232 pages (ISBN 978-3-9521409-8-7) in
Boosting Resource Productivity by Adopting the Circular Economy
Ludwig, Chr. and Matasci, C. (Eds.)
Published in Book, a publication of World Resources Forum, printed by Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, (2017) - 429 pages in
Surface Geochemistry
Ludwig, Chr. and Casey, W.H.
Published in Book chapter, in: Encyclopedia of Geochemistry, White, W.M. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series, Springer International Publishing, 1-5 (2017), ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9 in
Solid Waste Engineering - A Global Perspective
Worrell, W.A., Vesilid, P.A., Ludwig, Chr.
Published in Book, Cengage Learning (2017) - 499 pages in
Solid Waste Engineering - A Global Perspective, SI Edition (3e)
Worrell, W.A., Vesilind, P.A., Ludwig, Chr.
Published in Book, Cengage Learning (2017) - 499 pages in
Natural Resources - Sustainable Targets, Technologies, Lifestyles and Governance
Ludwig, Chr., Matasci, C., Edelmann, X. (Eds.)
Published in Book, A publication of World Resources Forum, printed by Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, 2015 - 351 pages in
Shaping the Future of Natural Resources
Ludwig, Chr., Lehmann, M., Edelmann, X. (Eds.)
Published in Special Issue (Part II), in Science Of The Total Environment, vol. 481, 637ff, Elsevier, 2014 in
How to do with less - Shaping the Future of Natural Resources
Ludwig, Chr., Lehmann, M., Edelmann, X. (Eds.)
Published in Special Issue (Part I), in Science Of The Total Environment, vol. 461, 773ff, Elsevier, 2013. in
Book of Abstracts, World Resources Forum 2011 (WRF 2011)
Edited by Edelmann X. and Ludwig Chr.
Published in A publication of Empa - 58 pages in
Proceedings of the 2008 Global Symposium on Recycling, Waste Treatment and Clean Technology (REWAS 2008)
Edited by Mishra, B., Ludwig, Chr., Das, S.
Published in A publication of TMS - 1849 pages in
Municipal Solid Waste Management - Strategies and Technologies for Sustainable Solutions
Ludwig, Chr., Hellweg, S., Stucki, S.
Published in Book, Springer (2003) - 534 pages in
Directing Material Fluxes, Advances in Municipal Solid Waste Management and Technology
Ludwig, Chr., Hellweg, S., Stucki, S.
Published in Brochure, Synthesis of the knowledge gained during the Integrated Project Waste of the Priority Program Environment (Swiss National Science Foundation 1996-1999), Villigen PSI (2000) - 32 pages in
Abfall- und Rückstandsbehandlung: Grundlagen zur thermischen Schwermetallseparation
Wochele, J., Ludwig, Chr., Stucki, S., Auer, P. O., Schuler, A. J.
Published in Book chapter, in: Forschung für eine nachhaltige Abfallwirtschaft, Eds. S. Stucki et al., ISBN 3-9521409-1-0, Villigen, Switzerland, Eigenverlag Paul Scherrer Institut und Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (1999) in
Towards Understanding the Rates of Reactions at Mineral Surfaces
Casey, W. H., Ludwig, Chr., Holmén, B.
Published in Book chapter, in: Proceedings of the Rome Seminar on Environmental Geochemistry, Castelnuovo di Porto 22-26 Maggio 1996, Eds. Marini L. and Ottonello G., Pacini Editore, Pisa (1998) in
Silicate Mineral Dissolution as a Ligand-Exchange-Reaction
Casey, W. H., Ludwig, Chr.
Published in Book chapter, In: Chemical Weathering Rates of Silicate Minerals, Eds. White, A. F., and Brantley S. L., Reviews in Mineralogy Vol. 31, Ser. Ed. Ribbe, H. P., Mineralogical Society of America, BookCrafters Inc (1995) in
Solid Waste Treatment on InfoScience
Research
My personal publications
https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=liRly_kAAAAJ&hl=en
Publications of my research group
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=de&user=K3_tQjAAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Teaching & PhD
PhD Students
Past EPFL PhD Students
Bernhard Steubing, Harald Hagendorfer, Marco Wellinger, Marcelo Daniel Kaufman Rechulski, Martin Brandenberger, Noémie Elise Ott, Gaël Peng, Adrian Hess, Frank Pilger, Sven Philip Edinger, Agnese Carino, Debora Foppiano, Eya Nicodeme, Adrian Pulgarin, Sonya Barzgar, Daniil Salionov, Enio Daniel Zanchetta, Tianyu Cen, Tobias Borgmeyer, Ayush Agarwal
Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector
Robert Andrew Witik, Hossein Madi
Courses
Pollutants analysis in the environment
ENV-300
Evaluation of the quality of a river by using methods of observation as well as physico-chemical and biological methods. Collecting samples in the field and laboratory analysis. Practical determination and use of the constants of complexes formation.
Solid waste engineering
ENV-500
The book "Solid Waste Engineering - A Global Perspective" is the basis for this course. This textbook is an excellent introduction to the field of Solid Waste Engineering and gives insight into relevant solid waste treatment technologies and practices. Transversal skills will be fostered as well.
Urban neighborhoods, infrastructures and sustainable development
PENS-309
This ENAC Teaching Unit aims to present and implement new concepts of sustainable urban neighbourhood planning.