Introduction to Microfiber Pollution

Microfibers (MF) are tiny components having diameters less than 10 μm and lengths and 5 to 20 mm, respectively. Secondary microplastics, also referred to as MF, are ubiquitous in marine and freshwater environments. MF don’t biodegrade easily, hence they can be ingested by marine organisms and potentially end up in the food chain. Microfibers are emerging pollutants due to their adverse effect on the ecosystem and widespread distribution in the environment. The ocean receives approximately 13 million tons of MF annually from all available sources. Microfiber pollution is mainly caused by activities such as washing clothes, drainage systems, disposal of clothes in landfills, and dumping of garments. These sources play a vital role behind the uncontrolled microfiber drainage to marine territory. Besides laundering, some other crucial sources are flakes, chips, mattresses, the friction of tyres, plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps, etc. Textile microfiber pollutants originate mainly from synthetic microfibers (SMF) composed of non-biodegradable polymers like polyester, nylon, rayon, acrylic, spandex, polyethylene terephthalate, or polypropylene. Among all marine environment pollutants, polyester is the dominant microfiber pollutant. Each year, among all microfiber sources, around 5 million tons of microfibers are introduced into the world’s oceans only from textile sources, to be more specific, synthetic and plastic items used in textile products which are released through laundry. The modern world is focusing to solve this emerging challenge for the betterment of the future. This chapter will briefly discuss the common sources of microfibers and their pathway to and adverse effect on the ecosystem. This chapter will also give an insight into the present microbial enzyme methods used to degrade microfibers and future strategies for the reduction of microfiber pollution.