Bob Kleinmann, Ph.D.

Environmental Geologist

Dr. Bob Kleinmann has been a practicing environmental geologist for all of his professional career. He is particularly well known for his groundbreaking research and innovative contributions in controlling acid mine drainage. He has authored or co-authored more than 90 publications on mining environmental technology. Until recently, Bob worked for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), supervising its in-house environmental and geological research and contributing to the management of the overall in-house research program.

• Bob first established a reputation for himself with his Ph.D. research, which established that iron-oxidizing bacteria play a major role in the generation of acid mine drainage. Not content with an academic conclusion, Bob then developed a practical method to inhibit the activity of these bacteria which proved to be a cost-effective way to improve water quality in coal refuse. Bob was then hired by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, where he played a pioneering role in the development of passive treatment of mine water and eventually oversaw the entire coal-related environmental research program.

• At NETL, Bob initially supervised the in-house environmental research program, which was focused on solving water and air pollution problems associated with the extraction and use of fossil energy. Eventually, that Division grew so large that it was split and Bob assumed responsibility for the geoscience-related research. This included applied research on geological sequestration of carbon dioxide and water contamination issues related to oil and natural gas production.    

• Since 1996, Bob has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Mine Water and the Environment, for the International Mine Water Association (IMWA). When Bob took it over, the journal was issued sporadically and was self-printed by the Association for a very limited audience. It is now published quarterly by Springer in color and is listed in the Citation Index. As the quality and impact of the journal has improved, the Association's membership has grown exponentially, as subscription to the journal is included as a benefit to membership in IMWA.

• Bob is vice-president of IMWA and past-president of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR). 

• Bob has edited several conference proceedings, a book on predicting water quality at surface coal mines, and a book published by Springer on water management at abandoned flooded underground mines. He is currently editing a book on Acidic Pit Lakes (Springer, 2012).

• Bob is a frequent instructor/presenter at AMD events around the world. Recent speaking engagements have taken him to South Africa, Canada, Brazil, and the Czech Republic.

Education 

Ph.D. Princeton University

M.S. Geology, Princeton

B.S. Geology, Penn State

CH2M Hill, Inc.
Senior Mining Technologist

Bob recently joined CH2M Hill, a global leader in engineering, consulting, design, program management, construction, and operations. The company manages some of the world's most complex and significant programs, including the Panama Canal expansion, infrastructure and facilities for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the relocation of U.S. military forces in South Korea, and major waste water programs in London and Abu Dhabi. Bob's focus is on mine water remediation and mine site restoation, though he will also provide technical assistance on other environmental projects.

After receiving his doctorate, Bob was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) to form an AMD research group, which rapidly became the nation's lead research group in this area. He personally played a major role in the development of passive treatment of acid mine water using constructed wetland ecosystems. As a direct result of this research, mining companies and reclamation organizations have constructed more than a thousand of these passive treatment systems around the world.

Less than four years after joining the Bureau, Bob was given responsibility for the entire environmental technology division. Under his oversight, the scope of the acid mine drainage research expanded. Accomplishments include: the development of a static in-line aeration system for treatment of acid mine water, adaptation of surface geophysical and remote sensing techniques for locating sources of AMD, identification of limiting factors in the formation of AMD in coal refuse, an assessment study of AMD sludge disposal problems, refinement of passive treatment technology (including the first research on using anaerobic bacteria to treat AMD), and development of a practical method to control surface water infiltration into underground mines. The group also dramatically changed the way in which AMD potential was predicted and evaluated and improved methods to ameliorate and remediate AMD generation at surface mines. In addition to acid mine drainage, he was also responsible for research on controlling fires at abandoned coal mines (new techniques were developed but none proved practical), and fugitive dust emissions from active mining operations.