PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are synthetic compounds used in everyday products, from non-stick cookware to firefighting foams. While their resistance to water, grease, and oil makes them highly useful, they also persist in the environment, accumulating in water sources, wildlife, and human bodies. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to at least 13 serious health conditions, including cancer, infertility, and endocrine disorders.
Existing treatments often fail to fully eliminate PFAS, leaving behind concentrated waste that still poses environmental risks. Swiss startup Oxyle has developed a first-of-its-kind technology to permanently destroy these harmful chemicals instead of merely containing them. By offering a scalable, cost-effective solution, Oxyle is tackling one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
Oxyle has secured $16 million in a seed funding round led by 360 Capital, with participation from Axeleo Capital, Founderful, and SOSV. This follows a $3 million pre-seed round in 2022, bringing total funding to $26 million, including non-dilutive grants.
With this funding, Oxyle aims to scale its PFAS destruction technology and treat 100 million liters of contaminated water over the next five years. The company is targeting industries such as chemical and consumer goods manufacturing, semiconductor production, and municipal water treatment.
Thomas Nivard, partner at 360 Capital, emphasized the impact of Oxyle’s work, stating that unlike conventional methods that only contain PFAS, Oxyle’s technology eliminates them completely. He described it as a game-changer in tackling the growing crisis of water contamination.
Founded in 2020 by Fajer Mushtaq and Silvan Staufert at ETH Zurich, Oxyle began as an academic project driven by a mission to protect global water resources. Mushtaq, who grew up in Delhi, experienced firsthand the challenges of water scarcity, which shaped her commitment to finding sustainable water treatment solutions. During her PhD research in Micro- and Nanosystems, she teamed up with Staufert, a researcher in Mechanical and Process Engineering, to develop a technology capable of degrading PFAS in minutes.
Mushtaq recognized that the breakthrough had the potential to change the world, but only if it could move from lab research to real-world application. That realization led to the founding of Oxyle, with a focus on making its PFAS-destruction technology commercially viable at scale.
Unlike conventional treatment methods that merely concentrate PFAS, Oxyle’s system completely eliminates them, achieving over 99% destruction rates while consuming 15 times less energy than alternative methods. The process involves foam fractionation to separate PFAS from water, catalytic destruction to break down the molecules, and real-time AI-powered monitoring to optimize treatment efficiency. By eliminating the need for incineration or landfill disposal, Oxyle provides a sustainable solution for long-term water safety.
Oxyle has already demonstrated the effectiveness of its technology in multiple industries. The company has grown to a team of 26 and completed over 20 customer projects while receiving recognition from organizations such as the Swiss Technology Award, SEIF, and the World Economic Forum’s Uplink Top Innovators.
In November 2024, Oxyle deployed its first full-scale system in Switzerland, treating 10 cubic meters of contaminated groundwater per hour with energy consumption below 1 kWh/m³. This efficiency makes it one of the most cost-effective and scalable PFAS destruction solutions available today.
With revenue-generating pilot programs and its first commercial installation now operational, Oxyle is securing multi-year treatment contracts for 2025 and beyond. By providing a permanent, scalable solution to PFAS contamination, the company is poised to transform industrial wastewater treatment and protect global water sources for future generations.
