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How regenerated cellulose fibers appear in the discourse on marine pollution with microplastic: a snowballing and network approach
Summary
A systematic literature review using a snowballing-network approach investigated why some microplastic studies count regenerated cellulose fibers (like rayon and lyocell) as plastic pollution while others exclude them on the grounds that cellulose is biodegradable. The review found that the classification depends heavily on which research tradition authors follow, highlighting a significant inconsistency that complicates measuring true microplastic pollution levels in marine environments.
Abstract Microplastics are prominent marine pollutants that have been investigated in various recent studies. While some of these studies mention regenerated cellulose fibers (RCFs), as part of microplastics or in close connection, other studies consider RCFs to be biodegradable by their nature and hence neglectable in context of marine pollution. This systematic literature review on the biodegradability of RCFs was conducted to investigate how such differences can be explained. An innovative snowballing-network approach has been applied for the review to gain a better understanding of historical developments of and interconnections between according strains of literature. Starting from four different papers the review followed according references and citations. Results indicate that a consensus is lacking across research fields on the chemical characteristics of RCFs. The inconsistent use of existing terminology by some researchers, and failure to make distinctions between RCFs and synthetic fibers or plastics in the results may lead to misinterpretation regarding the impacts of RCFs in the environment. By using more accurately the existing terms and definitions, researchers could prevent readers from misinterpreting research results and increase their understanding of RCFs. Biodegradation of regenerated cellulose fibers was reviewed, and consensus is that these fibers are biodegradable in all natural environments and suitable industrial settings. Conducting further research on the fate of RCFs and other cellulose fibers from processed consumer products like textiles, as well as microfibers from textiles in general, in natural environments are recommended.