[Pharmwaste] WERF RFP #2: Removing Trace Organics in Wastewater Treatment

[PDeLeo at sdahq.org]

http://www.werf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=7605&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm

For Immediate Release: September 22, 2008


For more information, contact:
Dawn Forsythe, Director of Communications
E-mail: dforsythe at werf.org
Phone: 703-684-2470 X7908





        RFP Issued: Removing Trace Organics in Wastewater Treatment
               WERF Seeks Research Proposals by November 11





(ALEXANDRIA, VA) The Water Environment Research Foundation announced a
request for proposals (RFP) for research that will reduce or remove trace
organic compounds from the liquid wastewater treatment stream. The research
will allow wastewater agencies to apply site-specific processes in their
treatment facilities.


Trace organic compounds (TOrC) generally encompasses endocrine disruptors
and other pharmaceuticals and personal care products. In this project,
researchers will identify the suite of TOrC they will use as indicator
compounds in their research. Researchers should justify their selection and
demonstrate the ability to reliably analyze these compounds in wastewater.


The research will inform the wastewater treatment and the regulatory
communities on a number of fronts. First, it must identify missing
empirical information on the fates of specific TOrC during conventional
wastewater treatment. It must explain the functional relationships between
process variables and TOrC fate in conventional treatment. Finally, the
research must provide predictive models relating compound removal
efficiency to process operational variables and compound-specific
physical/chemical parameters.


WERF expects that first-generation models will be basic, but will seek
model refinement as the scientific community gains more understanding of
the fates of additional TOrC during wastewater treatment.


Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT), November 11, 2008.


Go to www.werf.org to access the complete request for proposals. Contact
WERF program manager Lola Olabode at lolabode at werf.org for more information
on this research effort or the proposal process. Please forward this
announcement to potential proposers.


This RFP is one component of WERF's TOrC research program. The Water
Environment Research Foundation, formed in 1989, is America's leading
independent scientific research organization dedicated to wastewater and
stormwater issues. We have managed nearly 400 research projects, valued at
more than $85 million.


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The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), a nonprofit organization,
   manages independent scientific research that leads to cost-effective
  responses to water quality concerns affecting the environment and human
  health. Since 1989, WERF has addressed issues in wastewater treatment,
 water reclamation and reuse, biosolids and sludge, stormwater management,
             water quality and, more recently, climate change.