Scaling capital and operational expenditure demands on more than 20,000 wastewater treatment plants across the U.S. were already squeezing municipal and utility budgets prior to March 2020 and the onset of COVID-19. The advent of new technologies and business models, however, present opportunities for utility leaders to transform their wastewater treatment operations. This includes resource recovery of produced byproducts and even the potential generation of alternative revenue streams.
In this new Market Insight, Bluefield’s team of water experts sizes the biosolids management market by breaking down volumes and costs of biosolid disposal versus beneficial usage. Three types of utility business models are analyzed and further illustrated through in-depth case studies highlighting how innovative utilities can reduce the cost of biosolids management and even earn revenue in the process.
Utility business models analyzed:
- Outsourced management
- In-house processing
- In-house sale of biosolids products