Editor's Note
Welcome back to Blue Subsurface.
We’ve spent the last 30 days wading through the chemistry of “forever chemicals,” and if there is one takeaway from our deep dive this month, it’s that PFAS are no longer just an industrial problem—they are an architectural feature of our daily lives.
🗓️ The first issue
We started the month asking uncomfortable questions about what we eat and where we play. We looked at the seafood paradox—how the healthy proteins we’re marketed are increasingly served with a side of microplastics. We walked onto artificial turf, discovering that those green fields are often leaching PFAS directly into the groundwater. And we followed the tragic trail of 6PPD-quinone, the tire-wear toxin that has been decimating Coho salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest.
The most pervasive microplastic in the human body comes from your tires […]
We got rid of acid rain. Now something scarier is falling from the sky. […]
For nearly 25 years, scientists watched coho salmon die in Seattle's urban streams. […]
How Global Supply Chains Are Serving Up ‘Forever Chemicals’ on Our Plates
But as promised, Blue Subsurface isn’t just about the "doom scroll." It’s about the fix.
🏆 The Innovator Spotlight
ASPIDIA: The Molecular Assassin
I sat down with Tommaso Dragani, founder of ASPIDIA, to talk about moving beyond "filtration" (which just moves the problem around) to "destruction." Tommaso and his team are doing fascinating work with enzymes that can actually break the molecular bonds of PFAS, turning a forever chemical into something temporary. If you missed our chat on how they are tackling contamination, you can catch up.
💰 Follow the Money: Active Grants & VC Activity (Jan 2026)
For the founders and researchers among you, here is where the capital is flowing right now.
🇺🇸 United States: The Airport Cleanup Just this week (Jan 27), Michigan’s EGLE awarded $9 million in grants specifically for PFAS response at airports. If you are working on remediation technologies suitable for large-scale infrastructure, keep an eye on state-level "response grants" like this—they are moving faster than federal programs right now.
🇨🇦 Canada: Tech & Circularity
NRC IRAP: We are seeing movement here. For example, Axine Water Technologies recently secured significant support for a project running through 2028 to integrate AI with PFAS destruction.
Regional Funding: For those in Western Canada, the Regional District of Nanaimo and City of Calgary have open calls for Circular Economy grants (deadlines approaching in March 2026). This is perfect for low-TRL pilots.
🇪🇺 Europe & VC Activity
The Swiss Surge: Keep an eye on Oxyle. They raised a massive Series A (backed by 360 Capital) to scale their PFAS destruction tech. This signals that VCs are finally comfortable betting big on deep-tech water solutions.
BioLargo: Fresh off a new installation in New Jersey this week, their stock activity suggests the market is waking up to "electrochemical" solutions.
🔮 Next Month: The Loop February is all about the Circular Economy. We are moving away from "cleaning up the mess" to "designing out the waste." I’ll be sharing a curated list of changemakers who are turning trash into treasure.
If you know a startup turning waste streams into revenue streams, reply and let me know.
Stay sub-surface,
Artemisa, Blue Subsurface
[email protected]
Artemisa is the cofounder of Oceanfront Agency. Oceanfront specializes in communication and design for environmental companies and cleantech.