RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Benchmarking techno-economic efficiency of bioresources management in the water industry: a synthetic index-based approach
A1 Molinos Senante, María
A1 Maziotis, Alexandros
K1 Bioresources management
K1 Circular economy
K1 Data envelopment analysis
K1 Wastewater treatment
K1 Water utilities
K1 Techno-economic efficiency
K1 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente
AB The transition towards a circular economy in the water industry has increased the strategic importance of bio-resources management, particularly in relation to renewable energy generation and sewage sludge treatmentwithin wastewater services. Despite this relevance, techno-economic performance in bioresources activities hasnot been systematically assessed. To address this gap, this study introduces the Techno-Economic BioresourceIndex (TEBI), a novel benchmarking indicator based on a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis approach. Theframework is applied to a sample of 50 observations operating in England and Wales. The results reveal sub-stantial heterogeneity in performance, with TEBI values ranging from 0.124 to 1.000 and an average score of0.76, indicating an average improvement potential of approximately 24%. Inefficiencies are found to be variable-specific rather than systemic, with energy utilization, energy export, and untreated sludge emerging as the mainsources of inefficiency for several utilities. No relationship is observed between techno-economic efficiency andutility size. A super-efficiency analysis further discriminates among efficient utilities, enabling the identificationof robust benchmarks. The findings demonstrate that efficient bioresources management can play a key role insupporting the transition towards a circular water industry, and that TEBI provides a transparent and operationaltool to support regulatory benchmarking and evidence-based decision-making.
PB Elsevier
SN 0961-9534
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83972
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83972
LA eng
NO Biomass and Bioenergy, 2026, vol. 213, p. 109362
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 11-abr-2026