The Water Environment Research Foundation announced this week a request for proposals, or RFP, for research that will reduce or remove trace organic compounds from liquid wastewater treatment streams. According to the foundation, the research will allow wastewater agencies to apply site-specific processes in their treatment facilities. Trace organic compounds (TOrC) generally encompass 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, the release said. 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 noted it 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), Nov. 11, 2008