Pioneering the development of biofilm fundamentals and their widespread use in the cleanup of contaminated waters, soils, and ecosystems; linking of molecular microbial ecology and geochemistry to environmental engineering processes
Spouse
Marylee MacDonald
Children
4
Awards
Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal, American Association of Engineering Societies, American Association of Engineering Societies, (2014); BioCluster Award, International Water Association and International Society for Microbial Ecology (2014); Distinguished Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (2012); Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award and Lecture, American Society of Civil Engineers (2009); Member, National Academy of Engineering (2004); A. R. I. Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Water Science and Technology, National Water Research Institute (1994); and Walter L. Huber Research Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers (1990)
Bruce E. Rittmann is Regents' Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. He was also elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2004 for pioneering the development of biofilm fundamentals and contributing to their use in the cleanup of contaminated waters, soils, and ecosystems.[1]
Rittmann was born in St. Louis, MO to Albert and Ruth Rittmann. He moved to Affton, MO at age 4 and attended Reavis Elementary School and Affton High School. In 1974, he received the BS degree in Civil Engineering and MS degree in Environmental and Sanitary Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. After working as an environmental engineer with Sverdrup & Parcel in St. Louis, he moved to Stanford University, where he received the PhD in Environmental Engineering in 1979. His PhD adviser was Perry L. McCarty.[2]
Rittmann joined the faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate and full professor in 1984 and 1988. In 1992, Rittmann moved to Northwestern University to become the John Evans Professor and Area Coordinator of Environmental Engineering.[3]
In 2005, he moved to Arizona State University to start the Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the newly formed Biodesign Institute. He was named a Regents’ Professor in 2009,[4] and the Center was endowed as the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology in 2011.
Rittmann is married to Marylee MacDonald and the step father of her three children.[citation needed]
Research
Biofilm modeling
Rittmann is a pioneer in the development of mathematical models of biofilms, communities of microorganisms attached to solid surfaces. While some biofilms cause infections or surface fouling, his research emphasizes their beneficial role in water treatment. His work integrates microbiological, chemical, and transport processes within biofilms, accounting for substrate gradients, metabolic products, and microbial diversity.[6]
Molecular microbial ecology
Working with David Stahl, Rittmann helped introduce molecular biology methods into environmental engineering, contributing to the development of environmental biotechnology.[7] This field applies molecular microbial ecology to study the genetic makeup and functions of microbial communities in engineered and natural systems. In collaboration with Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, he has used these approaches to investigate microbial processes involved in pollution control, resource recovery, and human health.[8]
Microbial products
Rittmann and colleagues were the first to define soluble microbial products (SMP), organic molecules released by microorganisms into their environment. With Chrysi Laspidou, he developed a unified model linking SMP, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and active biomass, which has been applied across microbiological processes to explain their roles in effluent quality and biomass composition.[9][10]
Bioremediation
Rittmann’s PhD work addressed the removal of organic micropollutants in aquifers and later expanded to chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, and radionuclides. He chaired National Academy of Sciences committees that produced influential reports on in situ bioremediation (1993) and natural attenuation (2000).
Membrane biofilm reactors
Rittmann invented the hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), which uses hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria on gas-transfer membranes to reduce pollutants such as nitrate, perchlorate, and uranium. He holds patents on the technology, which has been commercialized and received the 2011 Environmental Engineering Excellence Award.[11]
Photobioenergy
His group develops photobioreactors that use photosynthetic microorganisms to convert sunlight and CO₂ into biomass and chemical feedstocks. In collaboration with Willem Vermaas, he investigates methods to generate renewable fuels and chemicals from CO₂.[12][13]
Microbial electrochemical cells
Working with César Torres and Sudeep Popat, Rittmann studies microbial electrochemistry, in which anode-respiring bacteria transfer electrons to electrodes to produce electricity, hydrogen, or other reduced products from organic waste streams.[14]
Intestinal microbial ecology
With Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown and Andrew Marcus, Rittmann investigates gut microbial communities and their impact on human health.[15] Their work uses genomics, metabolomics, and modeling to study microbial interactions and explore ways to promote beneficial microbes.[16]
Selected publications
Books
Committee on In Situ Bioremediation; Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council (1993). Bruce Rittmann (ed.). In Situ Bioremediation: When Does It Work?. Washington, DC: Routledge. ISBN978-0309048965.
Rittmann, B. E.; E. Seagren; B. A. Wrenn; A. J. Valocchi; C. Ray; L. Raskin (1995). In Situ Bioremediation. Park Ridge, NJ: William Andrew, Inc. ISBN978-0815513483.
Committee on Intrinsic Remediation; Water Science and Technology Board; Board on Radioactive Waste Management; National Research Council; Commission on Intrinsic Remediation (2000). Bruce Rittmann (ed.). Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. ISBN978-0309069328.
Rittmann, Bruce; McCarty, Perry (2001). Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0071181846.
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