ZwitterCo, a Massachusetts-based startup offering wastewater treatment solutions, has raised USD 33 million in a Series A funding round led by DCVC. New investors including Heritage Group Ventures, Genoa Ventures, and Mott Corporation and existing investors MANN+HUMMEL Corporate Ventures, Burnt Island Ventures, and R-Cubed Capital Partners also participated in the round. 

The funds will be primarily used to expand production and further development of its  “Zwitterionic” membrane technology which is a rugged polymeric membrane made from patented copolymers that are used for wastewater separation. The company claims that this technology can be used to recycle tough-to-treat wastewaters.

The company looks to expand the applications of its technology while increasing its pilot fleet and producing the necessary inventory to meet the demand for its products. The funds will also support the construction of the company’s innovation center in Boston which will be used for the development of new membrane products based on Zwitter’s technology.

ZwitterCo launched its first product, a super-filtration (SF) membrane, in 2021 for applications in industrial wastewater treatment and reuse such as treating digestates, leachates, O&G (oil and gas) produced water, poultry and dairy, bioprocessing, and food & beverage wastewaters. It is also used for applications such as protein extraction and bio-fermentation. The company reports that it has successfully completed pilot projects and has booked more than a dozen commercial projects since launch.

Founded in 2018,  ZwitterCo is a water technology company offering solutions for water reuse. The company claims that its membrane technology can repel 1000x more organic compounds than standard membranes. Its membranes are also stated to be immune to fouling after every wastewater cleaning cycle compared to traditional membranes, whose performance degrades after each cleaning cycle and has to be replaced frequently.