Detlef Knappe
S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor

- 919-515-8791
- knappe@ncsu.edu
- Mann Hall 319E
- Visit My Website
Detlef Knappe is the S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University. He received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and he joined the NC State faculty in 1996.
Dr. Knappe is interested in drinking water quality and treatment, water reuse, organic micropollutants, development of water treatment processes for polar and persistent organic pollutants, and the fate of organic pollutants in solid waste landfills. He is a Trustee of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA’s) Water Science and Research Division, and he is a member of the North Carolina Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board. He serves as Associate Editor for AWWA Water Science and is a Topical Editor for the Open Access Journal Drinking Water Engineering and Science. He also serves on the AWWA’s Organic Contaminants Research Committee and the Standards Committee for Activated Carbon.
Detlef Knappe and his students have been the recipients of numerous best paper, best poster, and best thesis awards. He is a recipient of the NCSU Outstanding Teacher Award, the Bill Horn Kimley-Horn Faculty Award for excellence in graduate and undergraduate teaching and other accomplishments at NC State University, and the Young Civil Engineer Achievement Award from the University of Illinois.
Education
Environmental Engineering
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Environmental Engineering
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Civil Engineering, University of Illinois
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Research Description
Dr. Knappe has conducted research on water treatment processes for over 25 years. Current research efforts focus on (1) developing and evaluating physical-chemical treatment processes for the control of disinfection byproduct precursors and trace organic compounds (taste and odor causing substances, carcinogenic volatile organic contaminants, 1,4-dioxane, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, endocrine disrupting chemicals, antibiotics, and other pharmaceutically active compounds), and (2) 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. Funding agencies that have supported or are currently supporting his research include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Water Research Foundation, the North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute, and the North Carolina Urban Water Consortium.
Publications
- Prediction of full-scale GAC adsorption of organic micropollutants
- Kennedy, A. M., Reinert, A. M., Knappe, D. R. U., & Summers, R. S. (2017), Environmental Engineering Science, 34(7), 496–507. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2016.0525
- Determination of 1,4-dioxane in the Cape Fear River watershed by heated purge-and-trap preconcentration and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
- Sun, M., Lopez-Velandia, C., & Knappe, D. R. U. (2016), Environmental Science & Technology, 50(5), 2246–2254. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05875
- Environmental comparison of biochar and activated carbon for tertiary wastewater treatment
- Thompson, K. A., Shimabuku, K. K., Kearns, J. P., Knappe, D. R. U., Summers, R. S., & Cook, S. M. (2016), Environmental Science & Technology, 50(20), 11253–11262. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b03239
- Legacy and emerging perfluoroalkyl substances are important drinking water contaminants in the Cape Fear River watershed of North Carolina
- Sun, M., Arevalo, E., Strynar, M., Lindstrom, A., Richardson, M., Kearns, B., … Knappe, D. R. U. (2016), Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 3(12), 415–419. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00398
- Feasibility of using traditional kiln charcoals in low-cost water treatment: Role of pyrolysis conditions on 2,4-d herbicide adsorption
- Kearns, J. P., Knappe, D. R. U., & Summers, R. S. (2015), Environmental Engineering Science, 32(11), 912–921. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2015.0243
- Full- and pilot-scale GAC adsorption of organic micropollutants
- Kennedy, A. M., Reinert, A. M., Knappe, D. R. U., Ferrer, I., & Summers, R. S. (2015), Water Research, 68, 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.10.010
- Meeting multiple water quality objectives through treatment using locally generated char: Improving organoleptic properties and removing synthetic organic contaminants and disinfection by-products
- Kearns, J. P., Shimabuku, K. K., Mahoney, R. B., Knappe, D. R. U., & Summers, R. S. (2015), Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 5(3), 359–372. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2015.172
- 2,4-D adsorption to biochars: Effect of preparation conditions on equilibrium adsorption capacity and comparison with commercial activated carbon literature data
- Kearns, J. P., Wellborn, L. S., Summers, R. S., & Knappe, D. R. U. (2014), Water Research, 62, 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.05.023
- Fertilization of radishes, tomatoes, and marigolds using a large-volume atmospheric glow discharge
- Lindsay, A., Byrns, B., King, W., Andhvarapou, A., Fields, J., Knappe, D., … Shannon, S. (2014), Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, 34(6), 1271–1290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-014-9573-x
- Synthetic organic water contaminants in developing communities: An overlooked challenge addressed by adsorption with locally generated char
- Kearns, J. P., Knappe, D. R. U., & Summers, R. S. (2014), Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 4(3), 422–436. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2014.073
Grants
- Impacts of GenX (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate) on reproductive function and transcriptome signature in Caenorhabditis elegans
- NCSU Center for Human Health and the Environment(8/01/18 - 5/31/19)
- Collaborative Research: Cyclodextrin-Based 2D Materials for the Treatment of Legacy and Emerging Perfluoroalkyl Substances
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(8/15/18 - 7/31/21)
- Occurrence of Pesticides in North Carolina Private Drinking Water Wells and Identification of Point-of-Use Treatment Options
- NCSU Water Resources Research Institute(3/01/18 - 6/17/19)
- Assessing impact of drinking water exposure to GenX (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid) in the Cape Fear River Basin, North Carolina
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)(11/01/17 - 10/31/19)
- Collaborative Research: EAGER: Tailored sorbents for the removal of emerging per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances from water
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(9/15/17 - 2/28/19)
- Cometabolic Degradation of 1,4-Dioxane in Biologically Active Carbon Filters with Locally Enriched Biota
- NCSU Water Resources Research Institute(3/01/18 - 2/28/19)
- Design and Application of Cyclodextrin-Based Materials for the Treatment of Legacy and Emerging Perfluoroalkyl Acids
- NCSU Water Resources Research Institute(3/01/18 - 2/28/19)
- Electrically Assisted Sorption and Desorption of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
- Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)(5/16/18 - 5/16/19)
- Development of Appropriate Technologies to Treat Drinking Water Co-Contaminants Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu)
- NCSU Research and Innovation Seed Funding Program(1/01/17 - 12/31/17)
- The effects of contaminated soil and groundwater on subsurface utilities, surface water and drainage
- NC Department of Transportation(8/01/16 - 7/31/19)