Abstract
Microplastics have been widely found in water,atmosphere and soil environments.Fiber microplastics,as the main form of microplastics,have strong adsorption capacity for other pollutants in the environment due to their large specific surface area,and have potential toxic effects on organisms and human bodies.Existing technologies for the removal,recycling or degradation of microplastics are not sufficient to completely eliminate fiber microplastics.At the same time,with the increase in the use of textiles,the fiber microplastics pollution needs to be urgently addressed.To reduce the release of fiber microplastics,it is necessary to study the factors and mechanisms that affect their release.However,most of the studies focus on the release of fiber microplastics in the washing process,and the shedding of fiber microplastics in other processes of the textile life cycle,such as production and recycle process,has not been deeply studied.
In this paper,we introduce the basic concept and main sources of fiber microplastics,the release factors of fiber microplastics in the process of production,use and waste of textile products,and the methods and strategies for reducing fiber microplastics pollution.Fiber microplastics mainly refer to fibrous plastic fragments that are less than 5 mm in size and have a high aspect ratio.The release of fiber microplastics from washing is the main source of microplastics in the environment.Researchers have found that in addition to the washing stage,synthetic textiles will also release fiber microplastics at other stages due to the influence of different factors.First of all,textiles release fiber microplastics during spinning,wet processing,and cutting stages,due to the destruction or cutting of fibers by various mechanical forces,and a part of the shed fiber microplastics are embedded in the fabric.Subsequently,the adhesion force between fiber microplastics and textile is weakened during repeated washing,resulting in the release of a large amount of fiber microplastics.In the textile care stage,under the influence of various washing/drying conditions,the fabric is stretched,swollen or abraded.As a result,numerous fiber microplastics are released.By adjusting the parameters of washing machines/dryers and installing filters with high filtration efficiency such as using low level of water and reducing the number of washes,the release or emission of fiber microplastics can be greatly reduced.For the fiber microplastics discharged into wastewater,the combination of physical,chemical and biological can degrade and remove fiber microplastics efficiently.In addition,textiles treated by landfilling and incineration during the waste stage will also release fiber microplastics.Therefore,the release of fiber microplastics can be reduced by strengthening the management of landfills,improving the treatment efficiency of incineration,and adopting new methods,such as microbial degradation.In summary,the amount of fiber microplastics released at each stage of the whole life cycle of textile products is mainly affected by mechanical action.The textile care process is the stage where the largest number of fiber microplastics are formed.Optimization of washing/drying parameters or washing machine structure and installation of high-efficiency filters on washing machines and dryers can effectively reduce the release of fiber microplastics into the environment.It is of great significance to alleviate the pollution of fiber microplastics.
Although the research on the factors affecting the release of fiber microplastics has been studied,there are still several issues that need to be broken through.First of all,compared with the washing process of textiles,there are few studies on the fiber microplastics released during other processes in the textile production process,daily wear and waste,and the mechanism of action is not clear enough.Secondly,the interaction between different washing parameters and the lack of unified washing standards for minimizing the release of fiber microplastics are still a difficult problem for researchers to solve.Finally,in-depth and systematic exploration can be carried out in the future researches based on the development of advanced technologies and new materials to solve the pollution problem of fiber microplastics.关键词
纺织品/纤维微塑料/全生命周期/生产阶段/洗涤参数/削减策略Key words
textiles/fiber microplastic/full life cycle/production stage/washing parameters/reduction strategy分类
轻工纺织
