Microfibers released during home laundering are a source of primary microplastics in the environment. Due to their surface chemistry and high surface area, they have the potential to adsorb pathogens and pollutants on their surface. Moreover, microplastics can be transported quickly by water currents across the globe and be ingested by marine fauna and transferred to other trophic levels; they have been found even in the human food chain. These microfibers are discharged with the effluents to the municipal wastewater treatment process. The wastewater treatment plants are estimated to capture in the solids up to 98% of these microfibers but still, there is a portion that is discharged in the effluents, mainly fibers with size &lt; 100 µm.  In our previous work, we observed that fabrics of polyester, cotton, polyester/cotton blend and rayon all released microfibers to a significant extent and that an important portion of the microfibers released have sizes &lt; 200 µm. Under the action of aerobic microorganisms present in seawater, lake water, and activated sludge from a local WWTP, cellulose-based spun yarns were disintegrated and highly assimilated in the aquatic medium; on the other hand, polyester did not show significant biodegradation in any of the aqueous environments.  To study in a more realistic way the influence of natural fibers such as cotton in aquatic environments, the effect of typical textile finishes will be assessed in aerobic conditions. The presence of the finishes alters the surface chemistry of the fibers potentially affecting their biodegradability. Cotton knitted fabrics (interlock) with different finishes such as durable press, silicone softener, C6 based fluorinated (Non-PFOA) water repellent, and dye (blue 19) will be evaluated relative to samples without treatments. For these experiments, aquatic aerobic environments will be simulated within an RSA PF-8000 respirometer using different inoculums: activated sludge from a local WWTP at low concentration, seawater, and lake water.

Release of microfibers during textile laundering and their behavior in aquatic environments: Effect of fabric finishes

2019 Fall National Meeting

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