Polyester textiles as a source of microplastics from households: A mechanistic study to understand microfiber release during washing
Abstract
Microplastic fibers make up a large proportion of microplastics found in the environment, especially in urban areas. There is good reason to consider synthetic textiles a major source of microplastic fibers, and it will not diminish since the use of synthetic fabrics, especially polyester, continues to increase. In this study we provide quantitative data regarding the size and mass of microplastic fibers released from synthetic (polyester) textiles during simulated home washing under controlled laboratory conditions. Consideration of fabric structure and washing conditions (use of detergents, temperature, wash duration, and sequential washings) allowed us to study the propensity of fiber shedding in a mechanistic way. Thousands of individual fibers were measured (number, length) from each wash solution to provide a robust data set on which to draw conclusions. Among all the variables tested, the use of detergent appeared to affect the total mass of fibers released the most, yet the detergent composition (liquid or powder) or overdosing of detergent did not significantly influence microplastic release. Despite different release quantities due to the addition of a surfactant (approximately 0.025 and 0.1 mg fibers/g textile washed, without and with detergent, respectively), the overall microplastic fiber length profile remained similar regardless of wash condition or fabric structure, with the vast majority of fibers ranging between 100 and 800 μm in length irrespective of wash cycle number. This indicates that the fiber staple length and/or debris encapsulated inside the fabric from the yarn spinning could be directly responsible for releasing stray fibers. This study serves as a first look toward understanding the physical properties of the textile itself to better understand the mechanisms of fiber shedding in the context of microplastic fiber release into laundry wash water.
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Polyester microplastic fibers are one of the most commonly reported microplastic types documented in environments.
“Polyester microplastic fibers, often sourced from synthetic textiles, are one of the most commonly reported microplastic types documented in environments (Burns & Boxall, 2018;Hernandez et al., 2017;Rebelein et al., 2021).”
From No Effect of Realistic Concentrations of Polyester Microplastic Fibers on Freshwater Zooplankton Communities (2024) · cites this paper as Hernandez et al., 2017
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“Polyester microplastic fi - bers, often sourced from synthetic textiles, are one of the most commonly reported microplastic types documented in environments (Burns & Boxall, 2018; Hernandez et al., 2017; Rebelein et al., 2021).”
Background
- Authors
- Hernandez, E., Nowack, B., & Mitrano, D. M.
- Affiliations
- Empa (CH)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Mitrano, Denise M.
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2017-06-08
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 7036-7046
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2617829355
- Cited by
- 779
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 64 · 2025: 119 · 2024: 125 · 2023: 111 · 2022: 116 · 2021: 104 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 9
- FWCI
- 17.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (acceptedVersion)
- DORA Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)) (submittedVersion)
- DORA Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Keywords
- microplastic fibers, polyester fabric, synthetic textiles, microfiber release, laundry, detergent effects, fiber length distribution, fabric structure, domestic wastewater, surfactants
- MeSH terms
- Detergents, Environment, Laundering, Plastics, Polyesters, Textiles, Water Pollutants
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