German deeptech startup Porelio has raised €2.4 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round to scale its advanced materials platform for industrial water treatment and separation. The round was led by Faber, with participation from Polytechnique Ventures, Grupo Tecnológica, and better ventures.
The Technology: Mesoporous Silica at Scale
Founded in 2025, Porelio is commercializing a class of materials called Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Silicas (FOMS) — engineered structures that selectively capture target molecules while allowing liquid to pass through freely.
The core applications are high-value and high-urgency:
- Precious metal recovery from industrial effluents (e.g., palladium)
- PFAS removal, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), one of the most persistent "forever chemicals"
While FOMS chemistry has been known in research circles for decades, the obstacle has always been manufacturability. Porelio's key breakthrough is a patented continuous-flow production process that is approximately 30 times faster than conventional methods and operates under more sustainable conditions.
Proof-of-Concept Results
Early testing across European industrial partners has shown strong performance signals:
- Captured palladium ~6x faster than conventional adsorption technologies
- Removed significantly more TFA than commercial activated carbon under comparable conditions
- Materials are regenerable, which could meaningfully reduce long-term treatment costs
"This chemistry has sat on laboratory benches for thirty years. Everyone could see its potential; no one had made it at the scale that matters. We solved the scale, so it can finally do that work." — Dr. Rhea Machado, CEO and Co-founder, Porelio
What the Funding Unlocks
The €2.4M will be deployed across two priorities:
- Scale production from pilot output (kilograms per day) to industrial volumes (tonnes per year)
- Convert proof-of-concept collaborations into full commercial partnerships across Europe
Porelio sits at the intersection of critical industrial needs — metal scarcity, tightening PFAS regulations, and rising water treatment costs — making its timing as notable as its technology.
