Patrick Gerl

Patrick Gerl is a researcher at the Institute of Waste Management and Circularity, part of the Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His work focuses on developing innovative recycling technologies for complex waste streams using biological approaches.

His research interests include:

• Waste Management and Circular Economy
• Bioleaching and Enzyme-based Recycling Technologies
• Resource Recovery from Pharmaceutical and Packaging Waste
• Sustainable Materials Management
• Biological Production of Chemicals for Recycling Processes

Gerl's recent publications demonstrate a specialized focus on developing bio-based approaches for recycling challenging composite materials. His work targets the recovery of valuable resources like aluminum from pharmaceutical blister packs, beverage cartons, and multi-layer packaging through innovative bioleaching techniques that offer more sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical processes.

He is currently involved as project staff in the European Commission-funded initiative "From waste to resource - recycling sewage sludge ash into phosphate-rich plant fertilizer" (2024-2027), which represents his expanding research into nutrient recovery from waste streams.

Gerl has presented his research at international venues including the 6th Symposium on Circular Economy and Urban Mining in Capri, Italy (2022), where he discussed bacterial sulfuric acid production for bio-recycling of plastic and aluminum from multilayer packaging waste, highlighting the practical applications of his research in industrial settings.