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. 2019 Apr 29;9(1):6633.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43023-x.

The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution

Francesca De Falco  1 , Emilia Di Pace  1 , Mariacristina Cocca  2 , Maurizio Avella  1
Affiliations

The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution

Francesca De Falco et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Microplastic pollution caused by washing processes of synthetic textiles has recently been assessed as the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans. Therefore, understanding the effective contribution of the washing process of synthetic clothes to this environmental problem, is of great importance. In this study, wash trials at real scale were performed on commercial clothes by using a household washing machine in order to gain reliable data about the release of microplastics, and to identify possible influences of textile characteristics on the release. The wastewater was collected and filtered through subsequent filters with decreasing porosity, and the amount and dimensions of microfibres were determined. Microfibre release was analysed in relation to the nature and characteristics of the washed clothes. Results showed that microfibres released during washing range from 124 to 308 mg for kg of washed fabric depending from the type of washed garment that corresponds to a number of microfibres ranging from 640,000 to 1,500,000. Some textile characteristics, such as the type of fibres constituting the yarns and their twist, influenced the release of microfibres during washing. A great amount of microfibres of cellulosic nature was also released during washing of clothes made with a blend of polyester/cellulose. Finally the most abundant fraction of microfibres shed was retained by filters with pore size of 60 µm, presenting an average length of 360-660 μm and an average diameter of 12-16 μm, indicating dimensions that could pass through wastewater treatment plants and pose a threat for marine organisms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pictures and optical micrographs of selected garments: (a) BT, a 100% polyester t-shirt, (b) plane surface and (c) yarn of BT; (d) RT, a 100% polyester t-shirt, (e) plane surface and (f) yarn of RT; (g) GB, 100% polyester blouse of which 65% is recycled polyester, (h) plane surface, (i) warp and (l) weft yarns of GB; (m) GT, a top whose front is made of 100% polyester and whose back is made of a blend of 50% cotton and 50% modal (n) plane surface, (o) warp and (p) weft yarns of GT front polyester part, (q) plane surface and (r) yarn of GT back modal/cotton part.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Microfibres released (expressed in mg/kg, Ma ± SD, n = 2) from BT, a 100% polyester t-shirt, RT a 100% polyester t-shirt, GB, a 100% polyester blouse of which 65% is recycled polyester, and GT, a top whose front is made of 100% polyester and whose back is made of a blend of 50% cotton and 50% modal.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Microfibres recovered on: (a) 400 μm mesh, 60 and 20 µm pore size filters; (b) 5  µm pore size filters from the washing of BT, RT, GB, and GT.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pictures of the microfibres recovered on 60 µm pore size filters from the washing of (a) BT, (b) RT (c) GB, and (d) GT; (e) Length of microfibres released from BT, RT, GB and GT recovered on 400 μm mesh, 60, 20 and 5 μm pore size filters.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) FTIR spectrum of microfibres recovered from GT on the 60 μm pore size filter; (b) thermogravimetric curves of GT cotton/modal back part, polyester front part, microfibres recovered on 60  µm pore size filter; (c) SEM micrograph of GT microfibres representative of the fraction recovered on 60 µm pore size filter.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Total amount of microfibres released during 10 washing cycles from: (a) BT and (b) GT.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Microfibres recovered on 400 μm mesh, 60 and 20 µm pore size filters (expressed in mg/kg), and on 5 µm pore size filters (expressed in mg/L), during 10 washing cycles from: (a) BT and (b) GT.
Figure 8
Figure 8
TGA curves of the microfibres recovered from 60 µm pore size filters of 1st, 5th and 10th washes performed on GT.
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