Comprehensive characterisation of the wastewater — the analytical foundation for selecting and sizing the right treatment process.
Process Consultation — in depth
Every process decision flows from the effluent analysis. We characterise the wastewater across the parameters that drive design — BOD/COD, TSS, FOG, nutrients, pH, temperature, metals and toxicity — and assess variability so the plant is sized for reality, not averages.
What matters in practice
BOD, COD and their ratio for treatability.
TSS and fats/oils/grease for separation.
Nitrogen and phosphorus for consent.
Conditions and inhibitory components.
| Parameter | Drives | Typical method |
|---|---|---|
| BOD/COD | Biological design | Lab |
| TSS/FOG | Separation | Lab |
| N & P | Nutrient removal | Lab |
| pH/temp | Conditioning | On-site |
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Read MoreReynolds & Bauhm designs and delivers process consultation solutions backed by process engineering and performance guarantees.
Fundamentals, design drivers and practical guidance
Comprehensive characterisation of the wastewater — the analytical foundation for selecting and sizing the right treatment process.
The feasibility study then screens candidate process routes against consent, footprint, operability and cost, narrowing to a preferred option with a defensible basis. Budget estimating attaches a realistic capital and operating cost to that option at the appropriate class of accuracy, so investment decisions rest on engineering rather than optimism, and the site survey confirms access, services, levels and constraints that shape what is buildable.
Reynolds & Bauhm delivers the early-stage rigour — survey, characterisation, feasibility and estimating — that determines whether a scheme succeeds, giving clients a defensible technical and commercial basis before they commit.
Sound process consultation de-risks a project before capital is committed, working through site survey, effluent characterisation, feasibility study and budget estimating. The sequence exists to replace assumptions with data: what the site can physically accommodate, what the effluent actually contains, which process routes can meet consent, and what each will realistically cost to build and run.
What our engineers assess on every scope of this type
| Parameter | Typical basis | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Operability | Whole-life view | Avoids a plant nobody can run |
| Risk | Assumption register | Carried forward into design |
| Characterisation | Representative sampling | Captures variability, not just mean |
| Site survey | Access/services/levels | Defines what is buildable |
| Feasibility | Route screening | Narrows to preferred option |
| Estimate | Defined accuracy class | Sound investment basis |
Common questions on process consultation
By replacing assumptions with data — characterisation, survey, route screening and costing — so the technical and commercial basis is defensible before capital is committed, when changes are still cheap.
Because designing to an average misses the peaks and shock loads that actually break a plant. Effluent Characterisation relies on a representative campaign capturing the distribution and variability, so the design carries margin where it is needed.
A screened comparison of candidate process routes against consent, footprint, operability and cost, narrowed to a preferred option with a documented, defensible basis for the decision to invest.
Early estimates are produced to a defined accuracy class appropriate to the information available, and the basis and assumptions are stated, so decision-makers understand the confidence behind the figure rather than treating it as fixed.
Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.
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Send your influent analysis and our engineers assess your process and recommend a tailored treatment solution — free, confidential and no obligation.
Select the regulatory standard for your country — it sets which parameters we need for a compliance-aware process assessment.
Required parameters for the chosen standard are flagged on the sample form. You can still submit a partial set and we will advise what else to test.
Your sample is stored against your company so we can track the project. Provide a company name or email as a minimum.