Pure Capture raises £530K to strip PFAS out of water with carbon adsorbents

What's the deal? Pure Capture InnovationsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an Oxford-based deep-tech startup, has raised £530,000 in a pre-seed round led by SFC CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Carbon13Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the British Business Bank, and angel investors joined, alongside non-dilutive funding from two Innovate UKDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → grants.

What's the endgame? The company develops sustainable, carbon-based adsorbent materials that remove PFAS, persistent micropollutants, and other contaminants of emerging concern from water. The adsorbents are designed to work with treatment infrastructure that water companies and industrial users already operate, rather than requiring them to rebuild their processes.

From its Materials Research Centre, Pure Capture is also developing a rapid adsorbent assessment and PFAS water testing service. The round will fund development and validation of its materials as it works towards commercialisation.

Why now? SFC Capital pointed to "strong engagement from the UK water industry" and an experienced founding team. The firm said it was "particularly impressed by the potential for its technology to deliver significantly improved PFAS removal while working with existing water treatment infrastructure."

The company called the round "an important milestone," adding it would help "accelerate the development and validation of our technology."

The signal: At £530,000, this is a modest pre-seed cheque, sitting in the bottom quartile by round size. But for a materials-science startup targeting PFAS — a class of contaminants under growing regulatory scrutiny — early industry engagement matters more than a large raise this soon.

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