STA

What STA does

STA - Società Trattamento Acque SpA is an Italian environmental engineering firm headquartered in Mantova that designs, builds and operates water and wastewater treatment plants for industrial, agri-food and municipal clients. Founded in 1999, the company has operated for 30+ years in the sector and employs approximately 160 professionals across eight operational locations in Northern Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Trentino-Alto Adige and Tuscany). Its product portfolio spans core wastewater treatment technologies — activated sludge (CAS), membrane biological reactors (MBR), moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR), sequencing batch reactors (SBR), physico-chemical plants, and digestate treatment (NDN) — complemented by the patented UTN biological process (developed with the University of Trento) which reduces sludge disposal costs by up to 60%.

STA monetizes through a mix of one-time turnkey EPC contracts (design and construction of treatment plants) and recurring service streams including ongoing technical-analytical plant management, 24/7 emergency availability, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, revamping, liquid waste disposal, and BIM-based 3D laser-scanner surveying. Go-to-market is direct enterprise and municipal field sales across Italy, targeting Grande, Media e Piccola Industria as well as public entities; channel partners or resellers are not used. The company also operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Trentino Acque and Omnitec, to extend its service reach.

Following Hera Group's acquisition of 100% of STA finalized on March 19, 2026 as part of the Sostelia-Water Tech Group, STA now operates as a subsidiary within a national multi-utility platform. The transaction added 1,200+ treatment plants, ~350 employees and 1,200+ active customers to Hera's portfolio, combining STA's R&D and proprietary technology with Herambiente's infrastructure and operational scale to create an integrated water-and-waste cycle management offering.

Name

STA

Legal name

S.T.A. Società Trattamento Acque SpA

Website

https://stacque.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

STA (Società Trattamento Acque) is an Italian water and wastewater treatment engineering firm that designs, builds and operates treatment plants for industrial, agri-food and municipal clients across Northern Italy, leveraging patented UTN sludge-reduction technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Treatment Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Services (BPALAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Wastewater Reuse (Cooling/Process/Boiler Feed) (EUANADAM), Water Treatment Plant Construction (Drinking Water) (IMAFAGAA), Sludge/Biosolids Handling & Treatment Facilities Construction (IMAFAGAJ), Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment plants
• Industrial water treatment
• Municipal water purification
• Membrane bioreactor systems
• Environmental engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mantova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Water Treatment Plant Design and Construction: Turnkey design and construction of water and wastewater treatment plants for industrial and municipal clients. Services include preliminary studies, process engineering, detailed design, and construction delivery.
2. Plant Management and Technical-Analytical Services: Ongoing technical, operational and analytical management of treatment plants, including 24/7 availability and emergency response services.
3. Liquid Waste Management: Collection, transport and disposal of liquid wastes, septic services for civil and industrial facilities.
4. Plant Maintenance and Revamping: Ordinary and extraordinary maintenance services, system upgrades and regulatory compliance updates for existing installations.
5. BIM Survey and Mapping Services: Surveying and BIM modeling services for existing infrastructure, providing 2D and 3D as-built documentation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STA designs, manufactures, and commissions wastewater treatment plants for industrial and municipal customers, deploying technologies such as CAS, MBR, MBBR, SBR, chemical-physical, and digestate treatment. The company also operates and maintains these plants on behalf of clients and provides related services including BIM surveys, 24/7 emergency response, industrial automation, and civil/industrial suction. Its flagship technology is the patented UTN process developed with the University of Trento.

Product overview

STA (Società Trattamento Acque) is an Italian water treatment company operating within the Sostelia-Water Tech Group. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of wastewater treatment products including Active Sludge Plants (Impianti a Fanghi Attivi), Membrane Biological Reactors (MBR), Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBR), Sequential Batch Reactors (SBR), Chemical-Physical Plants, and Digestate Treatment Systems (NDN). The product lineup is complemented by the proprietary patented Processo UTN for biological treatment with up to 60% sludge reduction. Service offerings include technical-analytical management, 24/7 emergency availability, BIM-based plant surveys using laser scanning, industrial automation, and civil/industrial suction services. The company also provides storm water treatment systems (Serie S.MET 1p), mobile flotation pilot units, and prefabricated modular plants, serving industrial, agricultural, and municipal sectors across Italy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAS (Conventional Activated Sludge) Treatment Plants Conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants engineered for industrial and municipal clients requiring biological treatment of effluents.
• MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) Treatment Plants Membrane bioreactor systems delivering high-quality effluent with compact footprint, targeted at industrial and municipal applications with stringent discharge requirements.
• MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) Treatment Plants Moving bed biofilm reactor plants designed for biological wastewater treatment with high biomass activity and operational flexibility for industrial and municipal users.
• SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) Treatment Plants Sequencing batch reactor plants providing batch-mode biological treatment suitable for variable load conditions in industrial and municipal settings.
• Chemical-Physical Treatment Plants Chemical-physical treatment systems for industrial effluents requiring coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, or neutralization prior to biological treatment or discharge.
• Digestate Treatment Plants Digestate treatment systems for processing liquid and solid by-products from anaerobic digestion, primarily serving the agricultural and waste-to-energy sectors.
• Plant Management and Operation Services Ongoing operation, maintenance, and management of installed treatment plants on behalf of industrial and municipal owners.
• Industrial Automation Services Automation and control system services for water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, including PLC/SCADA implementation and process control.
• BIM Survey Services BIM-based digital surveying and modelling of existing treatment plants to support refurbishment, retrofits, and as-built documentation for industrial and municipal clients.
• 24/7 Emergency Response Service Round-the-clock emergency intervention service for treatment plant breakdowns and operational incidents, available to contracted industrial and municipal clients.
• Civil and Industrial Suction Services Vacuum tanker suction and transport services for civil and industrial liquid waste, including sludge and process liquids from treatment plants and industrial sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sludge reduction up to 60% with UTN process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hera Group / HerambientecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Hera Group finalized acquisition of 100% of S.T.A. Società Trattamento Acque SpA (which forms part of Sostelia-Water Tech Group), combining Sostelia's advanced technologies and R&D capabilities with Herambiente's existing plant infrastructure and operational experience, creating an integrated water and waste cycle management model. The transaction adds over 1,200 treatment plants, approximately 350 employees, and more than 1,200 active customers to Hera's portfolio.
• University of Trento - Faculty of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe patented UTN biological process was developed through collaboration with researchers from the University of Trento's Engineering faculty. This research-to-practice partnership produced a patented process that is already tested and applied in real-scale treatment plants.
• Stings - Pallacanestro MantovanaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSTA is Official Partner of Stings Pallacanestro Mantovana, an important reality in the Mantovano Sports Panorama.
• Rugby Viadana 1970minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSTA is Official Partner of Rugby Viadana 1970, an important reality in the Mantovano Sports Panorama.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-treatment major with a sizeable Italian operation offering design, EPC and operations for industrial and municipal wastewater and potable water — directly comparable to STA's full-service industrial/municipal water treatment offering.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: International water-treatment specialist providing process design, equipment, and operations services to industrial and municipal clients across Europe — overlapping with STA's CAS/MBR/MBBR/SBR, physico-chemical and reuse offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Iren Group: Italian multi-utility with significant wastewater treatment, water supply, and environmental services across Northern Italy — comparable to STA on municipal water customers and increasingly on industrial water after multiple acquisitions.
• Acea: Major Italian multi-utility operating water and wastewater services for municipalities and industrial clients, providing design, EPC and operations — a direct strategic comparable to STA on integrated water services.
• Xylem: Global water technology company supplying pumps, aeration, membrane and digital monitoring equipment used in the same MBR/SBR/CAS plants that STA designs and builds — comparable as equipment/technology supplier into the same end markets.
• Solenis: Global specialty chemicals and water treatment solutions provider serving industrial customers including paper, chemical and food processors — directly comparable to STA's industrial wastewater treatment and chemical-physical process offerings.
• Ecolab: Global water, hygiene and process services major serving food & beverage, chemical and industrial customers with water treatment and reuse programmes — comparable on industrial water customers, recurring service model, and reuse technology.
• Herambiente (Hera Group environmental services): Hera Group's environmental services arm and the parent platform that absorbed STA in March 2026 — directly comparable on wastewater treatment plant operations and now the structural owner of STA's installed base.

Regional players

• Gruppo CAP (Metropolitan City of Milan water utility): Italian regional water utility operating treatment plants across Lombardy — overlapping with STA's primary Northern Italy operating geography and providing both a comparable peer and a potential competing service provider.
• SMAT (Società Metropolitana Acque Torino): Turin-based water utility operating wastewater treatment plants and integrated water services in Piedmont — a comparable regional player with overlapping municipal and industrial wastewater service capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubestacque.com/youtube.aspx
• Facebookstacque.com/facebook.aspx
• LinkedInstacque.com/linkedin.aspx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STA