Microfibres from Textile Industry Effluents

Microfibres released from textiles are consistently found in various environments, indicating human impacts on natural systems. It is mostly reported that microplastic fibres, a subset of synthetic textile microfibres, are the primary contributors to microplastic pollution. According to the forecast, textile production will grow remarkably, and microfibre pollution will magnify and become more challenging to resolve. Wastewater treatment plants play an essential role in microfibre pollution, as research suggests they can be a sink and source. Despite the significant prevalence of microfibres in the ambient, the most common release pathways investigated are domestic textile laundering, transport through and retention in municipal wastewater treatment plants and subsequent application of processed sludge to agricultural fields as a soil amendment. There is limited research on textile industrial wastewater effluent, which is equally relevant to the upstream textile lifecycle. Studies showed that microfibres in textile industrial wastewater could be higher than municipal wastewater by a thousand times more. Microfibres released in industrial wastewater effluents do not yet have a standard test method for detection and quantification, and legislation is not yet feasible. Considering the significant abundance of microfibres in industrial wastewater effluent, narrowing the knowledge gaps and specifically targeting this major source of microfibre release into the aquatic environment is imperative.