Kevin Kleemann

Research area

Water-soluble polymers (WSPs) are produced in large quantities and are used in many applications that lead to a release of these polymers into the environment. The high stability of many conventional WSPs (i.e., lack of biodegradation) is well established. To overcome the resulting accumulation of WSPs in the environment and prevent potentially associated ecological risks, replacing conventional with biodegradable WSPs is a viable strategy.  My PhD work addresses the fate of candidate biodegradable water-soluble polymers (BWSPs) in soil to identify alternatives to commonly used WSPs in industrial applications.  

Publications

Kleemann et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 2, 1274–1286, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05770.  

Kleemann et al. Chimia 2023, 77, 764, DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2023.764.