Swiss startup Oxyle announced that it has raised $16 million in a seed funding round, with proceeds to be used to grow its team and expand its solution to destroy PFAS “forever chemicals” in wastewater.

PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been in use in a wide range of consumer and industrial products since the 1940s, and are commonly found in food packaging, fabrics, kitchenware products, fire-fighting foam, and electronics, among other products. The chemicals tend to be very persistent, and don’t break down over time, and have been found to accumulate in the human body and in the environment.

According to Oxyle current methods to eliminate PFAS from water and waste streams, such as filtration and adsorption, move PFAS from water to other waste streams, requiring incineration or landfilling that risks having the chemical leach back into the environment through air or soil – creating an endless cycle of contamination. While some technologies can destroy PFAS, their massive energy requirements make them financially impractical for most organizations to implement at scale, the company added.

Founded in 2020 by CEO Fajer Mushtaq and CTO Silvan Staufert, Zurich-based Oxyle is developing what it calls the world’s first economical, sustainable, and permanent answer to PFAS contamination. The company’s solution destroys PFAS molecules, achieving over 99% elimination rates while consuming much less energy than alternative destruction methods. The system’s three-stage process combines foam fractionation, catalytic destruction, and real-time monitoring powered by machine learning housed in a modular system, eliminating the need for secondary waste disposal through incineration or landfilling.

Mushtaq said:

“Five years ago, Oxyle was two of us founders and one big idea: get rid of forever chemicals from our water. Today, that idea is proven, implemented, and ready to scale. This funding is a game-changer. It gives us what we need to take our technology to the industries and communities that need it most. To our investors, old and new, thank you for joining us on this mission to make clean water a reality for all.”

The current funding round brings Oxyle’s total funding to $26m, including additional non-dilutive funding from grants and awards. The current round was led by 360 Capital, with participation from Axeleo Capital and returning investors Founderful and SOSV.

Thomas Nivard, Partner at 360 Capital, said:

“We are proud to lead the investment in Oxyle, whose pioneering technology addresses the massive global challenge of PFAS pollution. Unlike traditional methods that merely contain these harmful chemicals, Oxyle’s solution destroys them permanently, setting a new standard for tackling this urgent environmental crisis. This is a game changer. The team’s exceptional commercial and technical momentum has laid a strong foundation for establishing a true technology leader in the coming years.”