Welcome to the research group website of Detlef Knappe. Our group is part of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University in sunny Raleigh, North Carolina.

My research interests encompass (1) developing and evaluating physical-chemical treatment processes for the control of disinfection byproduct precursors and organic micropollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and 1,4-dioxane (see our NSF Science Nation video), (2) understanding routes of exposure to organic micropollutant and mitigating human exposure, and (3) overcoming gaps between the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act by developing information about the effects of reactive and unregulated wastewater contaminants on drinking water quality and treatment.

I serve as Deputy Director of NCSU’s Center for Environmental and Human Health Effects of PFAS and am a member of NCSU’s Center for Human Health and the Environment. I also serve as the faculty advisor for the NC Safewater Student Chapter at NCSU.

Interested in joining our research group?

I am looking for motivated graduate and undergraduate students, who are interested in research and are passionate about water quality. For a summary of current and recent research projects, please take a look near the bottom of this page. If you are interested in our areas of research and you think you’d like to join the group, please email me with any questions and some details on your background and interests.