Dr. Zala Schmautz

Work at ZHAW

Position

Research Associate, Research Group Aquaculture Systems

Focus

• Nutrient recycling in closed water systems
• Water analysis and water chemistry
• Soilless plant cultivation (hydroponics, aquaponics, bioponics)
• Vertical farming and indoor plant cultivation

Education and Continuing education

Education

• Doctor of Science / Environmental Systems Science
  ETH Zurich
  09 / 2016 - 02 / 2021
• Master's degree / Sanitary Engineering (Public Health and Environmental Health Professional)
  Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  10 / 2013 - 04 / 2015
• Bachelor's degree / Sanitary Engineering (Public and Environmental Health Professional)
  Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  10 / 2009 - 09 / 2013

Network

Membership of networks

European aquaculture society

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0672-7086

Awards

Hans Vontobel-preis 2022
ETH Zurich
05 / 2022

Social media

• LinkedIn
• ResearchGate
• GoogleScholar
• Scopus

Projects

• Swiss Aquaculture Coordination Centre (KSA) / Team member / laufend
• INtegrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa (INCiTiS-FOOD) / Project leader / laufend
• Industrial symbiosis options for nutrient provision in indoor vertical farming / Project leader / abgeschlossen
• Development of a prototype of low-tech, space efficient soilless cultivation (aquaponics) for refugee camps in Jordan / Project leader / abgeschlossen
• SAMAKI AFYA: Facilitating economic viability of fish farms through better fish health / Deputy project leader / abgeschlossen
• Underground mission: Soilless crop cultivation / Project leader / abgeschlossen
• Local food for the future / Project leader / abgeschlossen
• AWACS – Animal Welfare Assessment and Control System for Fish Farms / Team member / abgeschlossen
• Implementation of aquaponic technology in Kunming, China: Construction of prototype for cultivation of fish and vegetables / Deputy project leader / abgeschlossen
• Characterization of nitrogen dynamics in an aquaponic system / Team member / abgeschlossen
• Implementation of aquaponic technology in Romania to benefit health and sustainable livelihood in deprived areas (AQUA-ROM) / Team member / abgeschlossen
• CTI Gotthard water / Team member / abgeschlossen

Publications

• Junge, Ranka; Schmautz, Zala; Milliken, Sarah,

  2024.

  Toward nutrient cycling from organic waste streams for soilless cultivation.

  Current Opinion in Food Science.

  61(101257).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2024.101257

• Folorunso, Ewumi Azeez; Schmautz, Zala; Gebauer, Radek; Mraz, Jan,

  2023.

  The economic viability of commercial-scale hydroponics : Nigeria as a case study.

  Heliyon.

  9(8), pp. e18979.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18979

• Bruni, Leonardo; Junge, Ranka; Gartmann, Florentina; Parisi, Giuliana; Schmautz, Zala,

  2023.

  The effect of nutrient source and beneficial bacteria on growth of Pythium-exposed lettuce at high salt stress.

  Water.

  15(11), pp. 2109.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/w15112109

• Gartmann, Florentina; Hügly, Julian; Krähenbühl, Nikita; Brinkmann, Nadine; Schmautz, Zala; Smits, Theo H. M.; Junge, Ranka,

  2023.

  Bioponics – an organic closed-loop soilless cultivation system : yields and characteristics compared to hydroponics and soil cultivation.

  Agronomy.

  13(6), pp. 1436.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061436

• Schmautz, Zala; Walser, Jean-Claude; Espinal, Carlos A.; Gartmann, Florentina; Scott, Benjamin; Pothier, Joël F.; Frossard, Emmanuel; Junge, Ranka; Smits, Theo H. M.,

  2022.

  Microbial diversity across compartments in an aquaponic system and its connection to the nitrogen cycle.

  Science of the Total Environment.

  852(158426).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158426

• Schmautz, Zala; Espinal, Carlos A.; Smits, Theo H. M.; Frossard, Emmanuel; Junge, Ranka,

  2021.

  Nitrogen transformations across compartments of an aquaponic system.

  Aquacultural Engineering.

  92(102145).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaeng.2021.102145

• Schmautz, Zala; Espinal, Carlos A.; Bohny, Andrea M.; Rezzonico, Fabio; Junge, Ranka; Frossard, Emmanuel; Smits, Theo H. M.,

  2021.

  Environmental parameters and microbial community profiles as indication towards microbial activities and diversity in aquaponic system compartments.

  BMC Microbiology.

  21(12).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-020-02075-0

• Eck, Mathilde; Sare, Abdoul; Massart, Sébastien; Schmautz, Zala; Junge, Ranka; Smits, Theo H. M.; Jijakli, M.,

  2019.

  Exploring bacterial communities in aquaponic systems.

  Water.

  11(2), pp. 260.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/w11020260

• Nicoletto, Carlo; Maucieri, Carmelo; Mathis, Alex; Schmautz, Zala; Komives, Tamas; Sambo, Paolo; Junge, Ranka,

  2018.

  Extension of aquaponic water use for NFT baby-leaf production : mizuna and rocket salad.

  Agronomy.

  8(5), pp. 75.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8050075

• Nozzi, Valentina; Graber, Andreas; Schmautz, Zala; Mathis, Alex; Junge, Ranka,

  2018.

  Nutrient management in aquaponics : comparison of three approaches for cultivating lettuce, mint and mushroom herb.

  Agronomy.

  8(3), pp. 27.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8030027

• Maucieri, Carmelo; Nicoletto, Carlo; Junge, Ranka; Schmautz, Zala; Sambo, Paolo; Borin, Maurizio,

  2018.

  Hydroponic systems and water management in aquaponics : a review.

  Italian Journal of Agronomy.

  13(1/1012).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.4081/ija.2018.1012

• Nicoletto, C.; Maucieri, Carmelo; Schmautz, Zala; Borin, M.; Sambo, P.; Junge, Ranka,

  2018.

  Babyleaf NFT production and water management in aquaponic system.

  Acta Horticulturae.

  pp. 159-164.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2018.1215.30

• Egloff, Sophia; Tschudi, Fridolin; Schmautz, Zala; Refardt, Dominik,

  2018.

  High-density cultivation of microalgae continuously fed with unfiltered water from a recirculating aquaculture system.

  Algal Research.

  34, pp. 68-74.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2018.07.004

• Schmautz, Zala; Graber, Andreas; Jaenicke, Sebastian; Goesmann, Alexander; Junge, Ranka; Smits, Theo H. M.,

  2017.

  Microbial diversity in different compartments of an aquaponics system.

  Archives of Microbiology.

  199(4), pp. 613-620.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1334-1

• Maucieri, Carmelo; Nicoletto, Carlo; Schmautz, Zala; Sambo, Paolo; Komives, Tamas; Borin, Maurizio; Junge, Ranka,

  2017.

  Vegetable intercropping in a small-scale aquaponic system.

  Agronomy.

  7(4), pp. 63.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy7040063

• Goddek, Simon; Espinal, Carlos A.; Delaide, Boris; Jijakli, Haissam M.; Schmautz, Zala; Wuertz, Sven; Keesman, Karel J.,

  2016.

  Navigating towards decoupled aquaponic systems : a system dynamics design approach.

  Water.

  8(7).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/w8070303

• Goddek, Simon; Schmautz, Zala; Scott, Benjamin; Delaide, Boris; Keesman, Karel J.; Wuertz, Sven; Junge, Ranka,

  2016.

  The effect of anaerobic and aerobic fish sludge supernatant on hydroponic lettuce.

  Agronomy.

  6(2).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy6020037

• Schmautz, Zala; Loeu, Fionna; Liebisch, Frank; Graber, Andreas; Mathis, Alex; Griessler Bulc, Tjasa; Junge, Ranka,

  2016.

  Tomato productivity and quality in aquaponics : comparison of three hydroponic methods.

  Water.

  8(11).

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/w8110533

• Némethy, Sandor; Bittsanszky, Andras; Schmautz, Zala; Junge, Ranka; Komives, Tamas,

  2016.

  Protecting plants from pests and diseases in aquaponic systems

  .

  In:

  Łabaj, M.; Sobczuk, S.; Fabin, A., eds.,

  Ecological Footprint in Central Europe.

  Sucha Beskidzka:

  The University College of Tourism and Ecology Press.

  pp. 166-179.

• Gartmann, Florentina; Schmautz, Zala; Junge, Ranka,

  2019.

  Influence of pH change on the phosphorus cycle in aquaponics [poster].

  In:

  9th International Phosphorus Workshop (IPW9), Zurich, 8-12 July 2019.

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-18461

• Schmautz, Zala; Junge, Ranka,

  2015.

  Acvaponia în lume : aquaponic systems around the world.

  Revistă Română de Acvaponie.

  1(1), pp. 12-15.

• Podgrajsek, Barbara; Schmautz, Zala; Krivograd Klemenčič, Aleksandra; Jarni, Klara; Junge, Ranka; Griessler Bulc, Tjasa,

  2014.

  Preliminarni monitoring akvaponicnega sistema v biotehniskem centru Naklo.

  Moje podeželje.

  5(9), pp. 10-11.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-4982

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

Schmautz Z (2015). Mass Balance and Nutrient Recycling in Aquaponics. Master thesis. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia).

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