A review of the current status of microfiber pollution research in textiles

Abstract

PurposeMicrofiber is one of the major sources of microplastic emission into the environment. In recent times, research on microfiber has gained momentum, and research across different disciplines was performed. However, no complete study was performed from the viewpoint of textiles to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour by relating the properties textiles. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour in textiles.Design/methodology/approachArticles on the microfiber shedding across different disciplines were collected and analysed systematically to identify the influencing factor. The influence of laundry parameters is found to be majorly discussed section, yet very few research data is found on the effect of yarn and fabric properties on the microfiber shedding.FindingsMost of the articles listed laundry detergent addition, higher temperature, use of softeners, type of washing machines used and amount of liquid used as the major factors influencing the fiber shedding. Concerning the fiber and yarn characteristics, yarn twist, fiber type (staple/filament), method of production, fabric structure and specific density are reported as influencing factors. Some articles highlighted the influence of ageing of textiles on the fiber shedding.Originality/valueThe review identified the research gap in the textile sector and reports that so far, no research performed on microfiber shedding with the textile parameters. The review further urges the importance of research works to be performed in the textile by considering the fabric and yarn properties.

The Effect of Wastewater Treatment Plants on Retainment of Plastic Microparticles to Enhance Water Quality—A Review

“…Since then, a number of other reviews on the topic have appeared [2]- [11] that complement reviews that had been there previously [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]. Nevertheless, the authors felt the need to extend the scope of the earlier review as it focused too much on plastic microbeads, an area of our research [17] at the time of writing, and too little on other forms of microplastics such as microtires [18] [19] and textile fibers [20] [21]. In addition, the contribution of the different sources of microplastics as found in the wastewater is changing over time, especially with the gradual phase-out of microplastic content in rinse-off cosmetics [22] [23] [24] and the ban in certain regions of plastic bags [25] and single use plastics [26], both potential materials for microplastics due to subsequent degradative fragmentation processes.…”

Microplastics in Wastewater by Washing Polyester Fabrics

“…Additionally, many studies have provided estimates of microfiber emissions from synthetic textiles during machine washing. Numerous studies and results show that textiles are among the main potential polluters due to the release of fibres, and that one of the reasons for this is the washing process [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. Research has shown that the type of construction itself affects the amount of microfibers released.…”

“…Knitted fabrics were also found to release more fibres. Other researchers suggest that the selection of a suitable spinning method could control the structural compactness and thus solve the problem of loose structures, hairiness, and twisting of the yarn [ 43 , 80 ]. De Falco et al have found that fabrics release more microfibres than knitwear, depending on the type of fibres used in the textile production.…”

Microfiber pollution: an ongoing major environmental issue related to the sustainable development of textile and clothing industry

“…While microfiber pollution needs to be addressed through the entire textile chain from fibers to consumers, technology innovation in the textile industry will mitigate the problem at the source. The developments of new types of fiber production, the innovation of design, and production processing of yarn and fabric are important methods to reduce microfiber release because of the shedding of yarn hairiness and fluff on clothes at the source, although very few research data are found on the effect of yarn and fabric properties on the microfiber release (Rathinamoorthy and Raja Balasaraswathi 2020). The development and Fig.…”