Dr. Phil Barak

Biography

Phillip Barak is a Professor in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Ph.D. in Soil Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1988. A classically trained soil chemist and mineralogist, Barak has made significant contributions to the field of soil environmental sciences, particularly in nutrient recovery and the upcycling of wastewater. His recent research focuses on the recovery of plant nutrients from wastewater, aiming to return them as high-analysis fertilizers to agriculture in a sustainable manner. He has developed innovative methods for recovering phosphorus through precipitation techniques like struvite and brushite, and nitrogen using ammonia electrodialysis from various types of wastewater. Barak is also the inventor of the commercially-available CalPrex system for phosphate removal in wastewater treatment plants. Furthermore, his research has uncovered nutrient deficiencies in nickel in Wisconsin soils, employing K-41 stable isotope methods in potassium fertilizer studies. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and received six patents for his work in nutrient recovery. In addition to his research, Barak is a dedicated educator, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and curating a Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules, an invaluable online resource for molecular visualization. He was awarded the Educause Medal in 1999 for his contributions in education and research.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards