Research interests:

Understanding the fate of pollutants in different soil ecosystems and how this fate is affected by, e.g., climate and land use. I am interested in different pollutants and substances including plastics, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, black carbon, and colloids as well as nanoparticles.

Selected projects:

PAPILLONS: https://www.papillons-h2020.eu/

SOPLAS: https://www.soplas.org/

Publications

• Groß, M., Mail, M., Wrigley, O., Debastiani, R., Scherer, T., Amelung, W., Braun, M. (2024). Plastic fruit stickers in industrial composting - surface and structural alterations revealed by electron microscopy and computed tomography, Environmental Science and Technology, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08734.
• Bauke, S.L., Seidel, S. J., Athmann, M., Berns, A. E., Braun, M., Gocke, M. I. et al. (2024). Short-term effects of subsoil management by strip-wise loosening and incorporation of organic material. Soil and Tillage Research 236, S. 105936. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2023.105936.
• Mutwale-Mutale, N., Jorge, F., Chabala, L.,M., Shepande, C., Chishala, B.H, Cambule, A., Nhanthumbo, A., Matangue, M., Braun, M., Sandhage-Hofmann, A., Amelung, W. (2023). Climatic effects on soil phosphorus pools and availability in sub-Saharan Africa. European Journal of Soil Science. doi: org/10.1111/ejss.13448
• Braun, M., Mail, M., Krupp, A. E., & Amelung, W. (2023). Microplastic contamination of soil: Are input pathways by compost overridden by littering?. Science of The Total Environment, 855, 158889, doi: org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158889
• Braun, M., Mail, M., Heyse, R., & Amelung, W. (2021). Plastic in compost: Prevalence and potential input into agricultural and horticultural soils. Science of The Total Environment, 760, 143335, doi: org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143335 
• Schimmel, H., Braun, M., Subke, J. A., Amelung, W., & Bol, R. (2021). Carbon stability in a Scottish lowland raised bog: potential legacy effects of historical land use and implications for global change. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 154, 108124, doi: org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.108124 
• Sentek, V., Braun, G., Braun, M., Sebesvari, Z., Renaud, F. G., Herbst, M., Frindte, K. & Amelung, W. (2020). Salinity-independent dissipation of antibiotics from flooded tropical soil: a microcosm study. Scientific reports 10.1, doi: org/10.1038/s41598-020-70943-w
• Nischwitz, V., N. Gottselig, and M. Braun (2020). Preparative field flow fractionation for complex environmental samples: online detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and offline detection by gas chromatography with flame ionization." Journal of Chromatography A, 461581. doi: org/10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461581 
• Brandes, E., Braun, M., Rillig, M.C., Leifheit, E.F., Steinmetz, Z., Fiener, P., Thomas, D. (2020). (Mikro-)Plastik im Boden: Eintragspfade, Risiken und Handlungsoptionen. Bodenschutz 25(3):121-125.
  doi: 10.37307/j.1868-7741.2020.03.10 
• Braun, M., Kappenberg, A., Sandhage-Hofmann, A., & Lehndorff, E. (2020). Leachable soil black carbon after biochar application. Organic Geochemistry, 103996,
  doi: org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2020.103996
• Braun, M. and Amelung, W. (2019): Synthetische Kunststoffe (Plastik). In Bodengefährdende Stoffe: Bewertung ‐ Stoffdaten ‐ Ökotoxikologie ‐ Sanierung (eds W. Wilcke, B. Wilke and N. Litz), doi: org/10.1002/9783527678501.bgs2018001
• Braun, G., Braun, M., Kruse, J., Amelung, W., Renaud, F. G., Khoi, C. M., Duong, M.V. & Sebesvari, Z. (2019). Pesticides and antibiotics in permanent rice, alternating rice-shrimp and permanent shrimp systems of the coastal Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Environment International, 127, 442-451, doi: org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.03.038
• Kappenberg, A., Braun, M., Amelung, W., & Lehndorff, E. (2019). Fire condensates and charcoals: Chemical composition and fuel source identification. Organic geochemistry, 130, 43-50, doi: org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2019.01.009 
• Braun, G., Sebesvari, Z., Braun, M., Kruse, J., Amelung, W., An, N. T., & Renaud, F. G. (2018). Does sea-dyke construction affect the spatial distribution of pesticides in agricultural soils?–A case study from the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Environmental pollution, 243, 890-899, doi: org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.09.050 
• Blaesing, M., & Amelung, W. (2018). Plastics in soil: Analytical methods and possible sources. Science of the Total Environment, 612, 422-435, doi: org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.086 
• Nischwitz, V., Gottselig, N., Missong, A., Klumpp, E., & Braun, M. (2018). Extending the capabilities of field flow fractionation online with ICP-MS for the determination of particulate carbon in latex and charcoal. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 33(8), 1363-1371, doi: 10.1039/C8JA00101D 
• Bläsing, M.; Amelung, W.; Schwark, L. & Lehndorff, E. (2017). Inland navigation-PAH inventories in soil and vegetation after EU fuel regulation 2009/30/EC. Science of the Total Environment, 19–28, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.107 
• Bläsing, M.; Kistler, M. & Lehndorff, E. (2016). Emission fingerprint of inland navigation vessels compared with road traffic, domestic heating and ocean going vessels. Organic Geochemistry, 1–9, doi: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.05.009
• Kappenberg, A.; Bläsing, M.; Lehndorff, E. & Amelung, W. (2016). Black carbon assessment using benzene polycarboxylic acids-Limitations for organic-rich matrices. Organic Geochemistry, 47–51, doi: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.01.009
• Shahriari, A.; Khormali, F.; Bläsing, M.; Vlaminck, S.; Kehl, M.; Frechen, M.; Karimi, A. & Lehndorff, E. (2016). Biomarkers in modern and buried soils of semi-desert and forest ecosystems of northern Iran. Quaternary International, doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2016.02.048 .
• Bläsing, M.; Shao, Y. & Lehndorff, E. (2015). Fuel regulation in inland navigation: Reduced soil black carbon deposition in river valleys in Germany. Atmospheric Environment (120), 376–384, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.09.004 
• van Toan, P.; Sebesvari, Z.; Bläsing, M.; Rosendahl, I. & Renaud, F. G. (2013). Pesticide management and their residues in sediments and surface and drinking water in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The Science of the total environment, 28–39, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.026

 Teaching

• Soil and Water Protection
• Nature conservation and landscape ecology
• Soil ecology and soil conservation

CV

11/2021 – present:
Academic coucillor at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) – Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Bonn University

10/2015-11/2021:
Research assistant at the INRES – Soil Science, Bonn University

10/2016 – 09/2017:
Annemarie Schimmel scholarship from the University of Bonn

11/2011 – 03/2016:
Dissertation „Inland navigation: Emission fingerprints in the environment after fuel regulation 2009/30/EC“ at the INRES, Bonn University, founded by a scholarship from the “Deutsche Bundesstiftung für Umwelt” (DBU)

11/2010 –10/2011:
Work as a graduate assistant at the INRES, Bonn University

04/2004 –10/2010:       
Study: Dipl. Geography at the Cologne University
Diploma thesis “Pesticide residues in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Soil and sediment analyses and methodical constraints“, in cooperation with the University of Bonn and the United Nations University (UNU-EHS)