In this episode of Seen & Solved, host Tim Pennington is joined by Hubbard-Hall’s Robin Deal and Jeremy Morgan to break down a high-stakes wastewater treatment challenge faced by a major automotive manufacturer. The facility was struggling to manage a heavily chelated spent acid pickle bath that was costing $30,000 a month to treat and taking 30 days per cycle. With corporate pushing for more sustainable, in-house solutions as part of a new water recycling initiative, the customer turned to Hubbard-Hall to help meet a bold target: cut treatment time to under 7 days and slash monthly costs to less than $10,000.

Robin and Jeremy walk us through how they tackled this tough chemistry—from treatability studies and lab testing to a custom dual coagulant solution that improved performance and sludge handling. The result? A cleaner effluent, more efficient filter press cycles, and dramatically reduced time and cost. This episode offers practical insights into balancing chemistry, cost, and sustainability—and shows what’s possible when expertise meets innovation on the plant floor.