What Depureco does

Depureco SpA is an Italian privately held engineering company, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Bari, Puglia, that designs, builds, and services turnkey wastewater treatment plants for the civil, industrial, and stormwater sectors. The company's portfolio covers municipal effluent treatment, industrial process water, and first-rain / stormwater management, primarily delivered through direct enterprise sales to municipalities, public utilities, and industrial operators across Southern Italy. Customers on record include Acquedotto Pugliese, Trenitalia (IMC Taranto), Aeronautica Militare, Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, O-I Italy, Euroapi (formerly Sanofi Aventis), and various agri-food, petrochemical, glass, and bottling operators.

The company operates a patented product family — DEPOIL PC (oil-water separation), the Depureco 1000 monoblock series, the Depureco 5000 Plus chemical-physical plant, and DEPOFIL 1000 sand filtration — built around MBR (Membrane BioReactor), physico-chemical, reverse osmosis, and final polishing technologies in AISI 304 steel. It also offers proprietary services including DLG-UNICHIM 195/3 tank-integrity testing and confined-space maintenance. R&D is partially funded through EU / Puglia Region programmes, notably the Smart Water project with the Faculty of Agriculture for MBR-based reuse of winery and dairy effluents.

Depureco's revenue model combines one-time turnkey project sales with recurring plant management, predictive maintenance, and remote-monitoring services, supplemented by environmental consulting, tank-integrity certification, hazardous-waste intermediation (Category 8), and confined-space work. Distribution is exclusively direct: consultative enterprise sales with custom project pricing, no channel partners or resellers. The company is family-owned (Angelo Zella founded it; his daughters Federica and Fabrizia Zella, alongside Riccardo Lupoli, currently lead the board), 50 years operational as of 2025, and recognized as a Historical Enterprise by the Bari Chamber of Commerce in 2021.

Name

Depureco

Legal name

Depureco SpA

Website

https://depureco.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Depureco is an Italian, family-owned engineering firm founded in 1975 in Bari that designs, builds, and services turnkey wastewater treatment plants (civil, industrial, stormwater) for municipalities and industrial operators across Southern Italy, using proprietary MBR, physico-chemical, and patented monoblock systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Treatment Equipment

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sludge/Biosolids Handling & Treatment Facilities Construction (IMAFAGAJ), Pipework, Calorifier & Heat Exchanger Descaling/Decontamination (BPABAJAI)

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment plants
• Industrial water treatment
• Civil wastewater treatment
• Stormwater treatment systems
• Environmental consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bari

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Turnkey Wastewater Treatment Plant Sales: Design, construction, and installation of custom wastewater treatment plants (civil, industrial, stormwater) delivered as complete turnkey solutions. Revenue recognized upon project completion and client acceptance.
2. Plant Management and Maintenance Services: Ongoing operation, maintenance, and monitoring services for installed plants including predictive maintenance, emergency repairs, and compliance monitoring. Provides recurring service revenue.
3. Environmental Consulting: Advisory services for environmental compliance, authorization procedures, water management strategy, and regulatory compliance (EU Directive 2024/3019, drought decrees).
4. Tank Integrity Testing (DLG Method): Specialized testing services for underground tanks and containers using the certified DLG-UNICHIM 195/3 method, providing compliance documentation for environmental permits.
5. Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Waste Intermediation (Category 8): Intermediation services for dangerous and non-dangerous waste, expanding the company's environmental service portfolio.
6. Confined Space Work Services: Specialized maintenance work in confined spaces (tanks, silos, buried containers) using qualified and trained personnel with proper safety protocols.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Depureco designs, builds, and maintains turnkey wastewater treatment plants for civil (municipal), industrial, and stormwater (first/second flush rainwater) applications. The company delivers monoblock self-supporting plants in AISI 304 steel (Depureco 1000, 5000 Plus series), the patented DEPOIL PC oil-water separator, and DEPOFIL 1000 sand filtration systems, complemented by plant management, environmental consulting, tank integrity testing (DLG-UNICHIM 195/3), confined-space maintenance, and hazardous waste brokerage services.

Product overview

Depureco is an industrial wastewater treatment equipment manufacturer founded in 1975, offering a portfolio of treatment plants and environmental services. The core product line includes the Depureco 1000 and 5000 Plus series (monobloc compact treatment plants for industrial applications), DEPOIL PC (patented oil-water separators), and DEPOFIL 1000 (sand filtration systems). The company employs technologies including Membrane BioReactor (MBR), reverse osmosis, and final polishing stations. Services include turnkey plant design and construction, operation and maintenance, environmental consulting, tank tightness verification (DLG-UNICHIM method), confined space work, and waste brokerage. The company operates across civil, industrial, and meteorological water treatment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Depureco 1000 Series Patented monoblock, self-supporting compact wastewater treatment plants in AISI 304 steel for industrial effluent, stormwater, and vehicle wash applications; used for petrochemical, industrial, and first-flush rainwater treatment.
• Depureco 5000 Plus Patented compact monoblock chemical-physical treatment plant integrating coarse screening, equalization, pH neutralization, electrolytic coagulation, flocculation, static decantation, sand/quartz and activated carbon filtration, disinfection, and static sludge dewatering in a single unit; designed for bottling and process water treatment.
• DEPOIL PC Patented centrifugal and tangential flow oil-water separator for rainwater treatment, performing sand trap and oil removal in a single tank using hydrodynamic thrust; designed for first-flush stormwater in compliance with Puglia Regional Regulation 26/2013.
• DEPOFIL 1000 Patented sand filtration system in AISI 304 steel for civil effluent treatment, used for upgrading hospital and municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
• Progettazione e Realizzazione Impianti (Plant Design and Construction) Turnkey design and construction service for civil, industrial, and meteorological wastewater treatment plants, delivered with custom engineering and full installation for municipal and industrial clients.
• Gestione e Manutenzione Impianti (Plant Operation and Maintenance) Ongoing operation, predictive maintenance, and remote monitoring services for installed wastewater treatment plants, including PLC telecontrol, emergency repairs, and compliance monitoring.
• Consulenza Ambientale (Environmental Consulting) Advisory services covering environmental compliance, authorization procedures, water management strategy, and regulatory compliance with EU Directive 2024/3019 and regional drought decrees.
• Verifica Tenuta Stagna Vasche – Metodo DLG-UNICHIM 195/3 Tank tightness verification service using the Differential Liquid Gauge method certified to UNICHIM 195/3 standard, detecting leaks with ±1g (0.05mm) precision by measuring liquid level variations in buried tanks and containers.
• Lavori in Spazi e Ambienti Confinati (Confined Space Work) Specialized maintenance work in confined spaces such as tanks, silos, and underground cisterns, performed by qualified and trained personnel following proper safety protocols.
• Intermediazione Rifiuti Pericolosi e Non (Cat. 8) Brokerage services for hazardous and non-hazardous waste management under Category 8, expanding the company's environmental service portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant reduction in pollutant load for treated industrial wastewater, making effluent compatible for reuse
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered moderate.

• Acquedotto PugliesemoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Participation in innovation conference organized by AQP Servizi a Rete, Italian Hydraulics Technical Association (Associazione Italiana Idrotecnica), and Vogelsang on predictive maintenance in wastewater treatment. Depureco's technical staff attended to learn about state-of-the-art predictive technologies and remote plant monitoring, with plans for targeted investments to improve services.
• Facoltà di Agraria (Faculty of Agriculture)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Collaborative partnership in the Smart Water project for research and development of innovative wastewater treatment systems. The project, co-financed by EU FESR, Region of Puglia, and Ministry of Economic Development, focuses on MBR membrane technology for treating winery and dairy effluents for agricultural reuse. Depureco works with academic partners to develop solutions that produce nutrient-rich effluent for crops while removing harmful substances.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Xylem Inc. US-listed global water technology company providing treatment equipment, smart water solutions, and services. Competes across municipal and industrial wastewater segments with both equipment supply and integrated service offerings similar in scope to Depureco's turnkey plus maintenance model.
• Pentair plc: Global water treatment and flow solutions company supplying equipment, filtration, and treatment systems for municipal and industrial applications. While more equipment-focused than Depureco's full-service model, overlaps materially in membrane filtration, physico-chemical treatment, and integrated plant delivery.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: French-based global water and waste management group with significant European and Italian operations. Offers turnkey wastewater treatment plants, digital water services, and industrial effluent solutions directly overlapping with Depureco's civil, industrial, and stormwater plant offerings.
• SAUR: French private water utility and treatment services operator serving municipalities and industrial clients with similar design-build-operate service profile. Provides comparable water/wastewater infrastructure solutions to those Depureco delivers in Southern Italy.
• Ecolab Inc. Global water, hygiene, and infection prevention company serving industrial and institutional customers with water treatment chemicals, equipment, and digital monitoring. Competes in industrial water management, process water reuse, and water hygiene with overlapping capabilities to Depureco's industrial and hospital services.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global leader in water and wastewater treatment with active Italian operations. Competes for large municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant design, build, and operation contracts across Europe, including in the same regulatory frameworks (EU directives, Italian D.Lgs. 152/06) that Depureco operates within.
• WABAG Group: Austrian-headquartered specialist in water and wastewater treatment with turnkey EPC capability comparable to Depureco's design-build-manage service. Active across European municipal and industrial tenders with similar technology stack (MBR, physico-chemical, reuse).
• ACCIONA Agua: Spanish water infrastructure specialist with global operations offering turnkey water and wastewater treatment plants and concession services. Competes for large municipal and industrial tenders across Europe with comparable technology and service scope.

Others

• Idrica: Spain-headquartered water management software and services company serving water utilities with digital platforms, smart water, and operational efficiency solutions. While not a direct plant builder, it serves the same municipal water utility customers (including Acquedotto Pugliese ecosystem) with digital layers that increasingly complement or compete with Depureco's remote-monitoring offering.

Direct peers

• F.lli Favara Srl: Italian regional wastewater treatment plant builder with comparable turnkey design-build profile and Italian focus. Operates in similar end markets (civil, industrial, municipal) and competes directly with Depureco for Southern Italian and Sicilian tenders of similar scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Depureco