A controlled polyester-fleece experiment distinguished conventional microfibers, fine fibrils and nanoparticles after washing and abrasion followed by washing.
Source details
Tong Yang, Jialuo Luo, Bernd Nowack. Environmental Science & Technology. 2021.
Findings
A controlled polyester-fleece experiment distinguished conventional microfibers, fine fibrils and nanoparticles after washing and abrasion followed by washing.
- 2,860 ± 670 microplastic fibers/g textile; Prewashed polyester fleece; controlled Gyrowash laundering at 40 °C for 45 min.
- 14,100 ± 1,500 microplastic fibers/g textile; Prewashed fleece after 5000 Martindale rubs, followed by controlled laundering/extraction.
- 3.3 × 10¹¹ ± 6 × 10¹⁰ nanoparticles/g textile; Controlled laundering of polyester fleece; NTA count with blank subtraction; selected nanoparticles chemically supported as PET.
- 100-1000 nm nanoparticle counting window; NTA quantitative fraction used for textile nanoparticle result.
Methods and scope
Gyrowash laundering and Martindale abrasion; SEM counted fibers/fibrils; NTA counted nanoparticles; TEM morphology and STXM/NEXAFS confirmed PET in selected nanoparticles. Method blanks traversed processing and were subtracted.
What this source can support
Direct evidence of different size fractions from the tested textile, with chemical support for selected nanoparticles.
One textile and laboratory settings. NTA does not chemically identify each counted particle. Significant nanoparticle background was subtracted. Particle-to-mass estimates assume shape and are not direct mass measurements. Abrasion sample means abrasion followed by extraction/washing, not airborne release.
Related evidence
Reported values and source locations
| Reported value | Measurement basis | Conditions and size context | Original document location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,860 ± 670 microplastic fibers/g textile | mean ± SD, three replicates; method blanks subtracted | Prewashed polyester fleece; controlled Gyrowash laundering at 40 °C for 45 min SEM counted conventional fibers; washing fiber length mean 304 ± 270 µm | PDF p. 6 Table 1; p. 7 §3.4 |
| 14,100 ± 1,500 microplastic fibers/g textile | mean ± SD, three replicates; method blanks subtracted | Prewashed fleece after 5000 Martindale rubs, followed by controlled laundering/extraction SEM counted conventional fibers; abrasion fiber length mean 254 ± 200 µm | PDF p. 6 Table 1; p. 7 §3.4 |
| 3.3 × 10¹¹ ± 6 × 10¹⁰ nanoparticles/g textile | mean ± SD, three replicates | Controlled laundering of polyester fleece; NTA count with blank subtraction; selected nanoparticles chemically supported as PET NTA summed 100-1000 nm; each counted object not individually chemically confirmed | PDF p. 6 Table 1 and §3.4 |
| 100-1000 nm nanoparticle counting window | analysis window, not full observed particle distribution | NTA quantitative fraction used for textile nanoparticle result 100-1000 nm; smaller particles excluded from quantification | PDF p. 6 §3.4 |
Source provenance
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