Fuente: Textiles (MDPI) Textiles, Vol. 6, Pages 57: National-Scale Quantitative Analysis of PET Microfiber Release from Polyester Fleece Garments During Washing
Textiles doi: 10.3390/textiles6020057
Authors:
Yulia A. Frank
Maria A. Simonova
Alena A. Abramenko
Egor D. Vorobiev
Fedor N. Rodikov
Danil S. Vorobiev

Domestic washing of synthetic textiles represents a significant source of microfiber fragment (MF) release that greatly contributes to microplastic pollution in the environment. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the dominant material in global polyester textile production, leading to the highest MF release. The characteristics and quantities of MFs released during domestic washing of various synthetic fabrics may vary regionally and require a thorough and comprehensive investigation. Research was conducted to assess the number and mass of PET MFs released from new 100% polyester fleece garments washed in Russian realities. The first wash of a new sweatshirt with powder detergent (PD) released significantly more (p < 0.05) PET MFs than washing without detergents, in terms of both mass (5.42 ± 0.58 vs. 2.82 ± 0.42 g kg−1) and number (15.3 ± 1.12 vs. 8.98 ± 2.18 mln items kg−1). Repeated washing of fleece garments with PD led to the release of longer MFs and decreased the mass of PET fiber fragments in effluents. After the third wash cycle, it stabilized at 204.7 mg/kg of dry textile per cycle. Overall, 99% of the fiber fragments were <5 mm long, which corresponds to the size limit for microplastics. Based on the obtained data, the annual release of PET MFs from domestic fleece washing in Russia is estimated at approx. 32 t.