CH2M HILL Employees Awarded 2012 WEF Rudolfs Medal

July 19, 2012

CH2M HILL is pleased to announce that CH2M HILL's Rangesh Srinivasan, Kar Munirathinam, Tim Harrison, Jeff Tudini, and Tom Sandy have been selected as recipients of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) 2012 Rudolfs Medal for their paper, "Selenium Treatment of Mine Water Effluent in a Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR)," which was presented and well-received at WEFTEC 2011 by Kar Munirathinam. 

The Rudolfs Medal was established in 1949 and is named after Willem Rudolfs, an active WEF member and primary force in industrial waste research. This award recognizes noteworthy accomplishments in any aspect of industrial waste management research published in WEF conference proceedings or periodicals.

"Industries face increasing public, media, and regulatory scrutiny regarding how they source, treat, and manage water. Receiving the Rudolfs Medal is a great acknowledgment for CH2M HILL Water Business Group's Industrial, Energy and Mining Platform, as it demonstrates our expertisein technology applications and innovation in the industrial water sector, and how we are helping our clients achieve regulatory compliance with more cost-effective solutions," said Steve Gelman, Director of CH2M HILL Water Business Group's Industrial, Energy and Mining Platform.

Mining operations are a major anthropogenic source of selenium release in the environment. The implementation of stringent selenium standards is challenging mining companies to investigate and implement new technologies to improve mine drainage water quality. An examination of the fate of selenium through treatment at the most minute level of detail is now critical. The award-winning paper addresses a CH2M HILL-led study that focuses on activities undertaken at a U.S. Appalachian mine facility to address issues associated with meeting compliance for selenium. The paper discusses a new innovative approach to selenium removal using FBR.

Application of FBR technology in biological water treatment has been utilized for over twenty years, but more recent research, pilot studies and evaluations undertaken by CH2M HILL are defining and capturing the potential of this approach toward selenium reduction. The primary components of the process include anoxic/anaerobic FBR treatment for reduction of selenium, liquid solids separation, aerobic polishing and filtration. This system successfully achieves consistent discharge compliance at a reduced cost compared to other potential technologies (e.g., reverse osmosis) as well as within a smaller treatment system footprint necessary due to limited available space in the narrow valleys in the mountainous terrain. This project was at the forefront of the development of a more efficient, reduced footprint approach towards meeting the emerging and challenging water quality criteria for selenium.

For more information about the CH2M HILL study and implications for surface coal mine scrutiny, read the CH2M HILL Access Water blog by Kar Munirathinam.

About WEF

Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF members, Member Associations and staff proudly work to achieve our mission to provide bold leadership, champion innovation, connect water professionals, and leverage knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide. To learn more, visit www.wef.org.

Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources. With US$6.4 billion in revenue and 30,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering by Verdantix. The firm has been named a FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For five times and was named Water Company of the Year at the 2012 Global Water Awards.www.ch2mhill.com, www.ch2mhillblogs.com/water, twitter.com/ch2mhilland facebook.com/ch2mhill.

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