EDGE

Dr. Thorsten Hüffer

Research Faculty Senior Scientist at the Department of Environmental Geosciences

☎ +43 1 4277 53383
✉ thorsten.hueffer(at)univie.ac.at
⚲ Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2 (UZA II), Room 2C409, 1090 Vienna


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CeMESS\Ludwig Schedl

Globally, chemical pollution is irreversibly affecting ecosystems. The fate of these chemicals in the environment is largely governed by phase transfer processes. Since his PhD at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany), Thorsten has investigated how biotic and abiotic processes change plastic-xenobiotic interactions in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, he has been exploring how environmental factors impact the release of additives from plastics, like phthalates, causing them to become long-lived sources of pollution in environmental systems. Similarly, he investigates the factors that shape the continuous leaching of xenobiotics from tire materials and their products, which can be take up by agricultural plants, thereby entering the human food web.

Activities

  • Member of expert committee „Polymers in the aquatic environment“ within the Waterchemistry Society
  • Member of the German Chemical Society (GDCh)
  • Member of the German Waterchemical Society
  • Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
  • Member of the Center for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU)

Group Members

Valerie Wilkeit

PhD Student

Nefise Ece Konak

Master's Student and Student Assistant

Marco Rampin

Master's Student

Publications

Otieno JO, Hüffer T, Hofmann T, Cydzik-Kwiatkowska A. Occurrence, fate, and effects of tire wear particles and tire-associated chemicals in wastewater treatment systems. Journal of environmental chemical engineering. 2026 Oct;14(5):1-12. 124689. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2026.124689

Henkel C, Hüffer T. Chapter 7: Mass Transfer of Organic Compounds at Plastic Interfaces – Why Chemical Complexity and Environmental Factors Matter. In Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Environment. Royal Society of Chemistry. 2026. p. 191-227 doi: 10.1039/9781837678235-00191

Henkel C, Hüffer T, Maletić S, Hofmann T. Micro- and nanoplastics as transport vectors for organic contaminants in the environment: A critical review. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science. 2025 Aug;78(101934). doi: 10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101934

Martino C, Savoca D, Mauro M, Byrne M, Hüffer T, Chiarelli R et al. Heatwave conditions increase the toxicity of phthalates in marine organisms. Science of the Total Environment. 2025 Jun 1;979:179479. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179479

Sherman A, Masset T, Wimmer L, Maruschka LK, Dailey LA, Hüffer T et al. The Invisible Footprint of Climbing Shoes: High Exposure to Rubber Additives in Indoor Facilities. ACS ES&T Air. 2025 Apr 24;2(5):930-942. doi: 10.1021/acsestair.5c00017

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