Destroying the potentially cancerous ultrashort-chain PFAS chemicals missed by traditional water treatment methods, Swiss ClimateTech startup Oxyle is leading the fight to decontaminate Europe’s water supplies.
Cracking down on toxic Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the environment, the EU is targeting a 70% reduction in industrial PFAS emissions by 2028 and a complete phase-out by 2030.
After decades of contamination, regulators are also targeting PFAS in drinking water. The toxic chemicals have been found in 94% of tap water samples across Europe, as well as more than 90% of groundwater samples in countries including France, Switzerland and Belgium.
Zurich-based ETH university spin-off Oxyle has deployed its first full-scale water treatment system in Switzerland, eliminating ultrashort-chain PFAS rather than merely recirculating them back into the environment.
Non-Stick Chemicals Stick Around Forever
PFAS is a collection of more than 10,000 dangerous man-made compounds, widely used in consumer and industrial products since the 1950s due to their resistance to heat, water and oil.
Best-known for use in firefighting foams, these synthetic chemicals are also found in everything from non-stick cookware and fast food wrappers to personal care products like shampoo and sunscreen.
Their resilience means PFAS do not break down in the environment. Therefore, today they contaminate water, soil and food chains across even the remotest parts of the world.
PFAS do not break in the human body and are found in blood samples worldwide. High exposure to PFAS is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, as well as reduced fertility and impaired immune function.
Ultrashort-Chain PFAS Slip Through the Net
PFAS molecules are extremely strong and stable. Why? Because they are made from chains of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. This forms one of the strongest known bonds in organic chemistry.
As the use of long-chain PFAS compounds came under greater scrutiny, manufacturers began replacing them with shorter chains of carbon and fluorine atoms, which remained unregulated but posed an even greater threat.
Ultrashort-chain PFAS molecules, such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), contain less than four carbon atoms. Their short structure makes them extremely resilient, highly water-soluble and exceptionally mobile through ecosystems. They are also notoriously difficult to remove by conventional PFAS capture methods such as filtration and absorption by activated carbon.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing in Western Europe uses ultrashort-chain PFAS extensively. Compounding the issue, long-chain PFAS which do degrade form ultrashort-chain PFAS, particularly when pesticides break down in agricultural soils.
Breaking the Links in Ultrashort-Chain PFAS
Rather than attempting to trap tiny ultrashort-chain PFAS molecules, Oxyle’s photochemical reduction process uses UV light and specialized mediator chemicals as molecular scissors to break their strong carbon-fluorine bonds, leaving behind harmless carbon dioxide and fluoride.
Oxyle’s process offers a 99% elimination rate, with an average energy consumption 15 times lower than that of other destructive treatments. According to the company, the technology prevents the toxic transfer cycle when PFAS waste is merely stored, or incinerated inadequately. Most incinerators processing saturated activated carbon fail to reach the 1500°C to 1800°C temperatures required to completely destroy PFAS, Oxyle co-founder and CEO, Dr Fajer Mushtaq says. Instead of releasing the toxic compounds back into the atmosphere, which then contaminate rainwater:
“At Oxyle, we destroy PFAS rather than absorb them,” she says. “We’re trying to break this toxic cycle so we don’t pass the burden to the next person.”
Oxyle deployed its first full-scale system in Switzerland in November 2024, treating 10 cubic meters of groundwater per hour. The company now aims to treat 100 million cubic meters of contaminated water over the next five years.
They recently announced €15.3 million in funding. And Oxyle is converting pilot projects into full-scale installations while expanding into pharmaceuticals, construction, agrochemicals and semiconductors.
Treating Industrial Wastewater
While the technology can be used to treat contaminated groundwater and lakes, it can also be integrated directly into production lines to treat industrial wastewater before it is discharged.
Last year, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) began public consultation on classifying TFA as a persistent, mobile and “reprotoxic” chemical which is harmful to reproduction. Dr Mushtaq says it is a significant step in the push to tackle the threat of ultrashort-chain PFAS which went unaddressed for so long:
“No matter where we look for TFA, we end up finding it,” she says. “Now that EU member states must actively measure it in drinking water, and are starting to recognize the risks, it’s a great step towards dealing with something which was still often considered unproblematic until just a few years ago.”
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