Institute of Water Chemistry
The overall aims of the research and teaching activities at the Institute of Water Chemistry are directed to environmental and water protection.
Occurrence, properties and (environmental) behaviour of in particular anthropogenic chemicals and materials such as pharmaceutical residues, microplastic particles or plant protection agents are being investigated. Moreover, treatment strategies allowing the efficient removal of trace pollutants from potable water and sewage are in our research focus.
© TU Dresden
Institute of Water Chemistry
Another core research area at the Institute is the proactive assessment and prevention of potential new pollutants. In close cooperation with industry partners, the potential hazards of new chemicals are identified, evaluated, and optimized to ensure greater inherent safety and sustainability. If conflicts between technological requirements and environmental hazards cannot be resolved through the “benign by design” approach, (wastewater) strategies are developed to prevent or minimize environmental exposure.
In our international and interdisciplinary team, we combine application-oriented topics with fundamental research questions. A central component of our research involves the further development and adaptation of analytical methods, the elucidation of structure-activity and structure-property relationships, the investigation of (eco-)toxicological profiles, the identification of sinks (sorption and biological/abiotic degradation) of chemicals in the environment, as well as the construction, operation, and further development of pilot plants for advanced oxidation and electrochemical treatment.
The institute is part of the Department of Hydro Sciences in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at TU Dresden. Since Senior Professor Dr. Eckhard Worch retired in 2028 after many years at the Chair of Hydrochemistry, Professor Dr. Stefan Stolte has headed the Institute and holds the Chair of Hydrochemistry and Water Technology. In 2019, the Contaminant Science Junior Research Group, led by Dr. Marta Markiewicz, joined the institute. In 2026, Dr. Markiewicz was appointed to the Chair of Water Chemistry and Water Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.