0
Article Tier 2 Sign in to save

Synthetic Microfiber: An Enduring Environmental Problem Linked to Sustainable Development

Environmental science and engineering 2024 32 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers examined how synthetic textiles release microfibers at every stage of their lifecycle — from production through washing to disposal — making textile-derived microfibers one of the most persistent and widespread environmental pollutants. The study calls for industry-wide solutions to reduce microfiber emissions before they reach waterways and the food chain.

Synthetic textiles emit microfibers into the environment at every stage, including production, usage, and disposal at the end of their useful lives. Microfiber pollution poses a potentially significant and growing concern to the environment, necessitating industry...

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Synthetic Fabrics and Microfiber Pollution–An Assessment of Their Global Impact

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers assessed how washing synthetic clothing made from acrylic and polyester releases microfibers into wastewater, contributing to widespread environmental contamination as these tiny plastic threads pass through treatment systems and enter waterways and eventually the food chain.

Article Tier 2

Microfiber Pollution—A Sustainability Issue

AI summary Read the abstract

Synthetic textile microfibers shed during washing represent a pervasive and underappreciated source of microplastic pollution, with millions of fibers released per laundry cycle entering wastewater systems that cannot fully capture them. Addressing microfiber pollution requires sustainability-focused interventions across the textile manufacturing, consumer use, and wastewater treatment stages.

Article Tier 2

Sources, Characteristics, Environmental Impact, and Sustainable Remediation of Synthetic Microfiber

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers found that synthetic microfibers — tiny strands shed from clothing and textiles — are now detectable in virtually every part of the natural environment, reviewing their sources, physical properties, and environmental impact to better understand how to address this pervasive form of plastic pollution.

Article Tier 2

Sources of Synthetic Microfiber Pollutants in the Environment and Their Fate and Toxicity

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers reviewed the sources, environmental fate, and toxicity of synthetic microfiber pollutants, highlighting how rapid growth in synthetic textile production has dramatically increased microfiber release into air, water, and soil, where they accumulate and pose risks to ecosystems and human health.

Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microfiber Pollutants on the Global Ecosystem

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers reviewed the global spread of microfibers shed from synthetic textiles and other plastic sources, documenting their adverse effects on organisms across multiple ecosystems and highlighting them as an underappreciated but widespread form of plastic pollution.

Research digests by email

When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.

Email me about

Share this paper