CH2M HILL Earns a WEX Global Innovation Award for Achieving Energy Independence at an Advanced Wastewater Nutrient Removal Facility

CH2M HILL (www.ch2mhill.com), a global full-service consulting, design, construction and operations firm, announces that the Ejby Mølle Wastewater Treatment Plant (EMWWTP) in Odense, Denmark, has won a Water and Energy Exchange (WEX) Global Innovation Award in the water and energy category. The awards were presented at the WEX summit on Feb. 20. WEX is an action oriented invitation-only summit that brings together high-level people who are shaping the future of water and energy worldwide. The awards recognize significant achievement in the field of innovation across a broad spectrum of disciplines with specific emphasis on environmental considerations, a sustainable future, financial resilience and innovation.

The CH2M HILL-winning project began in early 2012 when VCS Denmark (www.vcsdenmark.com), the provider of water and wastewater services for Odense, selected the team of CH2M HILL and Ramboll Denmark to execute a project that would make the EMWTP energy self-sufficient. EMWWTP has a treatment capacity for a population of 385,000 and is the largest treatment facility in Odense, Denmark.

“VCS Denmark is a very progressive utility, striving to become a model for incorporating sustainability principles in its operations,” says CH2M HILL Vice President and Technology Senior Fellow Julian Sandino. “The energy project was aimed at identifying additional energy optimization opportunities that would further facilitate the achievement of their sustainability goals.”

A series of energy optimization options (EOOs) were identified for the EMWWTP through the analysis of historical operational data, the use of an advanced mass/energy balance simulation tool, and the adoption of a collaborative workshop-based approach in identifying and evaluating alternatives. Implementation by plant staff of some of the recommended operational-oriented EOOs succeeded in making the plant essentially energy self-sufficient. This spring the facility will begin the co-digestion of high-strength organic industrial waste, which will enable it to reach a positive net energy condition. Other facility enhancements such as providing side stream treatment and improving oxygen transfer efficiencies in its bioreactors are also being applied, which will further convert this plant into an energy resource recovery facility. Implementation of all of the project’s recommendations will significantly reduce operational costs while providing the added environmental benefit of reducing green house gas emissions by reducing commercial energy consumption.

“Very few nutrient removal wastewater treatment facilities in the world are able to consider themselves energy self sufficient, let alone net energy positive. This project serves as a model for how to approach an energy optimization project,” adds Dr. Sandino

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. Visit us at www.ch2mhill.com, www.ch2mhillblogs.com/water, twitter.com/ch2mhill and facebook.com/ch2mhill. Search for jobs at www.ch2mhill.jobs