As Chips Race Spews ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Startups Emerge to Destroy Them<img src='https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035286&cv=4.4.0&cj=1'>SubscribeSign inView Market DashboardHomeLatest NewsMarketsMarket NewsMark to MarketCommoditiesLive BlogsCryptocurrencyIPOStock MarketsMarket DataStock PagesIndex pagesBullionGold SilverFuelPetrolDieselNewsIndiaWorldWSJEconomistUS NewsTrendsPremium e-paperGlobal Partners WSJEconomistBarron'sMint SpecialsMint ExplainersMark to MarketLong StoryMint PrimerSnapviewSectionsCompaniesTechnologyMarketsMoneyMutual FundsInsuranceAutoIndustryPersonal FinanceCompaniesStart-upsCompany ResultsPeopleMoneyPersonal FinanceInsurance Ask Mint MoneyMutual FundsMyMintIPL Schedule 2025Personal LoanTechnologyGadgetsTech ReviewsApp News5G TechFoldable SmartphonesMint HindiMoreElection 2025OpinionAuto NewsSportsOrange Cap in IPLPurple Cap in IPLIPL 2025EducationTools IFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorMint LoungeMintGenie Multi-MediaVideosWebStories Photo GalleryPodcastsExplore MintAbout usPrint subscriptionMint AuthorsSubscriber terms of usePrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimerMint codeCookie PolicyCode of ethicsSitemapContact UsHindustan TimesLive HindustanHealthshotsCredit CardHappy Holi 2025 Hello UserSign inSign OutMy AccountSubscribeMy WatchlistNewslettersNotificationsMy ReadsFor YouView Less -View More +Data InsightsMarket DashboardBullionGoldSilverFuelPetrolDieselCommoditiesGoldGoldMAluminumMenthaoilSilverSilverMICGoldPetalNatural GasCopperZincSilverMCrudeOilGoldGinueaLeadCryptoCurrenciesView Less -View More +Top SectionsToday's NewsIndia NewsWorld NewsUS News TodayBudget 2025EconomyMoney NewsPersonal FinanceQ&AOpinionCompany Business NewsIPO NewsStart-upsCompany ResultsTop Company LeaderStock Market NewsStock MarketsCommodity NewsMark To MarketIPO NewsLive Blogpersonal loanpersonal loan emi calculatorPersonal Loan Interest RatePersonal Loan EligibilityBusiness LoanInstant LoanElection Results 2025Assembly Elections 2025Indian Industry AnalysisBanking NewsInfotech NewsInfrastructureAgricultureManufacturingEnergy NewsRetail NewsAuto NewsSports NewsOpinionViewsColumnsTechnology NewsGadgetsTech ReviewsApp NewsPolitics NewsLoungeBusiness of LifeSports NewsIPL 2025 IPL 2025 Points Table IPL 2025 Orange CapIPL 2025 Purple CapIPL Match Today | IPL 2025 ScheduleEducation News TodayView Less -View More +Premium Offeringse-paperWSJEconomistBarron'sMyMintMint PremiumView Less -View More +Tools and CalculatorsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorEMI CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorView Less -View More +MultiMedia CollectionsVideosWebStoriesPhoto GalleryPodcastsView Less -View More +More From MintMint GenieMint LoungeMint HindiView Less -Explore MintAbout UsPrint SubscriptionMint AuthorsTerms of UseDisclaimerMint CodeCode of ethicsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicySubscriber - Terms of UseSITEMAPContact UsMint AppsView Less -View More +Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All Rights Reserved.As Chips Race Spews ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Startups Emerge to Destroy ThemPFAS are in everything from semiconductors to raincoats. As regulations on the substances increase, new ways of cleaning them up are on the rise.BloombergUpdated14 Mar 2025, 04:21 AM ISTAs Chips Race Spews ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Startups Emerge to Destroy Them (Bloomberg) -- The battle for artificial intelligence supremacy hinges on microchips. But the semiconductor sector that produces them has a dirty secret: It’s a major source of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems. Global chip sales surged more than 19% to roughly $628 billion last year, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, which forecasts double-digit growth again in 2025. That’s adding urgency to reducing the impacts of so-called “forever chemicals” — which are also used to make firefighting foam, nonstick pans, raincoats and other everyday items — as are regulators in the US and Europe who are beginning to enforce pollution limits for municipal water supplies. In response to this growing demand, a wave of startups are offering potential solutions that won’t cut the chemicals out of the supply chain but can destroy them. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been detected in every corner of the planet from rainwater in the Himalayas to whales off the Faroe Islands and in the blood of almost every human tested. Known as forever chemicals because the properties that make them so useful also make them persistent in the environment, scientists have increasingly linked PFAS to health issues including obesity, infertility and cancer. “There is an urgent need to prevent any further industrial PFAS pollution and clean up existing contamination,” said Lee Bell, technical and policy advisor for the International Pollutants Elimination Network, a global nonprofit network. Incineration won’t destroy the chemicals, he said, “so we need to identify new technologies to meet this challenge.” Among the companies tackling PFAS is Switzerland-based Oxyle AG. The company’s modular system can be scaled to treat everything from groundwater to industrial wastewater. It works by generating bubbles less than 1 millimeter in diameter — smaller than a grain of salt — in water contaminated with PFAS. Those bubbles help grab PFAS molecules and are processed in a way that helps break down the chemicals into its harmless mineral constituents like carbon dioxide and fluorides. The process leaves no toxic byproducts, according to the company. The technology can remove more PFAS than conventional filtration approaches. Oxyle said it can reduce some PFAS concentrations from more than 8,700 parts per trillion (ppt) to below 14 ppt, representing a more than 99% elimination rate. That lower concentration is around the detection limit for the six compounds Oxyle tested for, and the startup emphasized it can further reduce PFAS levels by extending treatment or adjusting the amount of catalyst used. Although the US and European Union are beginning to limit the amount of PFAS allowed in drinking water, there are still few restrictions on what companies can release, according to Lenny Siegel, executive director of the California-based Center for Public Environmental Oversight. Siegel, who has focused on tech sector pollution for decades, said he’s unaware of any US fab plant that faces restrictions on PFAS they can release in their wastewater. Testing data from one US semiconductor plant showed as much as 623 ppt of PFAS in wastewater, according to a 2021 study. New US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water guidelines for two types of forever chemical limit concentrations to 4 ppt — the lowest “feasible” level, the agency said last year. It emphasized there is no level of exposure without risk of health impacts. (Those rules have been challenged in court, and the cases are on pause at the request of President Donald Trump’s EPA.) Conventional water treatment at municipal plants typically involves adding chemicals like aluminum or ferrous sulfates to help bind together dirt and other small particles. Because solids are heavier than water they settle at the bottom and can be separated. The water typically goes through additional filtration systems before it reaches the end user. But this approach wasn’t designed to capture PFAS. “If you want to make an actual impact which is scalable and affordable, you need to decentralize the treatment. You need to go close to the source of the problem,” said Oxyle Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Fajer Mushtaq. “Treating drinking water is way too late, too expensive and too slow.” The chips industry can “lead the charge in solving the issue because they have the opportunity to work on their waters in a very controlled environment,” said Steven Lam, head of technology at Gradiant Corp. The Boston area-based company launched a treatment technology last year that it says permanently removes and destroys PFAS and has several ongoing demonstration projects, including with semiconductor manufacturers. The biggest barrier to widespread adoption of new PFAS destruction technology is regulatory uncertainty. PFAS limits for drinking water and wastewater in many jurisdictions are evolving with varying standards. It’s crucial that regulators understand the public health benefits of technologies that completely destroy the chemicals over ones that can’t, Gradiant said in a statement. Although some industries like apparel are phasing out PFAS and swapping in less-dangerous alternatives, for the chips industry, the chemicals remain crucial. SEMI, an industry association for the semiconductor supply chain, said while transitioning from PFAS is necessary, “a lack of proven substitutes means advanced semiconductors cannot be manufactured without them.” The group added that the sector has “actively established partnerships with governments and academia” to research and develop solutions. The chips sector is an important future market for Oxyle, and the company is in early-stage discussions with several firms, said Mushtaq. Currently, though, it doesn’t have active projects in the industry and is focused on groundwater cleanup and industrial applications in Europe. “What we need today is not to say we want to ban PFAS in the semiconductor industry. It's a pipe dream, it's not going to happen,” she said. “What we need is better waste management.” More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.Business NewsScienceNewsAs Chips Race Spews ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Startups Emerge to Destroy ThemMoreLessFirst Published:14 Mar 2025, 04:21 AM ISTGet Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!Enter Mobile NumberEmployment TypeSalariedSelf-Employed BusinessApply NowMost Active StocksMarket SnapshotTop GainersTop Losers52 Week HighTrending In Market IndusInd Bank share priceGensol Engineering share priceHEG share priceBSE share price Indusind Bank Share Price LIVESmall cap stockRecommended For YouMore RecommendationsGold Prices24K22KFuel PricePetrolDieselPopular in ScienceStory Url has been added to your clipboardDownload AppDownload the Mint app and read premium storiesTrending StoriesAirtel Spacex Maharashtra state budget Maharashtra budget 2025 LIVE Chhaava Box Office Collection Champions Trophy 2025 Indian stock market Mark Carney Suzlon Share Price ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Runs ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Wickets Livemint Hindi Bank Holidays in Gujarat Bank Holidays in Delhi Bank Holidays in September Income Tax Calculator 2025 Bank Holidays in Jammu And Kashmir Instant Personal Loan Check Credit Score Online Business Loan Personal Loan Interest Rate Personal Loan Eligibility Personal Loan EMI Calculator Gold Rate in Delhi Gold Rate in Bangalore Gold Rate in Chennai Gold Rate in Hyderabad Gold Rate in Mumbai Business Radio - FAB Play Assembly Election Results Credit Card Personal Loan Online Gold Rate India Bank Holidays India Stocks to Watch Stocks to Buy Popular StocksJSW INFRASTRUCTURE share priceR R KABEL share priceCONCORD BIOTECH share priceIDBI Bank share priceYes Bank share priceAdani Power share priceHUL share priceIndian Oil share priceVedanta share priceJio Financial Services share pricePaytm share pricePunjab National Bank share priceCanara Bank share priceAdani Green Energy share priceIndian Railway Finance Corporation share priceSuzlon Energy share priceIREDA share priceVodafone Idea share priceOrient Technologies share pricePremier Energies share priceBajaj Housing Finance Share PriceGaruda Construction And Engineer share priceHyundai Motor India share priceNifty 50 companiesADANI ENTERPRISES share priceADANI PORTS share priceAPOLLO HOSPITALS share priceASIAN PAINTS share priceAXIS BANK share priceBAJAJ AUTO share priceBAJAJ FINANCE share priceBAJAJ FINSERVE share priceBPCL share priceBHARTI AIRTEL share priceBRITANNIA share priceCIPLA share priceCOAL INDIA share priceDIVIS LABORATORIES share priceDR REDDYS LABORATORIES share priceEICHER MOTORS share priceGRASIM INDUSTRIES share priceHCL TECHNOLOGIES share priceHDFC BANK share priceHDFC LIFE share priceHERO MOTOCORP share priceHINDALCO INDUSTRIES share priceHINDUSTAN UNILEVER share priceICICI BANK share priceITC share priceINDUSIND BANK share priceINFOSYS share priceJSW STEEL share priceKOTAK BANK share priceLARSEN & TOURBO share priceMAHINDRA & MAHINDRA share priceMARUTI SUZUKI share priceNTPC share priceNESTLE INDIA share priceONGC share pricePOWER GRID share priceRELIANCE INDUSTRIES share priceSBI LIFE share priceSBI share priceSUN PHARMA share priceTCS share priceTATA MOTORS share priceTATA STEEL share priceTATA CONSUMER share priceTECH MAHINDRA share priceTITAN share priceUPL share priceULTRATECH CEMENT share priceWIPRO share priceLatest StoriesSectionPremiumOpinionNewsMarketPoliticsCompaniesMoneySportsMutual FundIndustryTechnologyToolsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorData PagesMarket DashboardIndicesTop GainerMutual FundsGold PriceSilver PriceFuel PriceAbout UsMint AuthorsContact usTerms of UseCode of EthicsPrivacy PolicyRSSCopyright © 2025 HT Digital Streams Limited. 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