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Detection, characterization and possible biofragmentation of synthetic microfibers released from domestic laundering wastewater as an emerging source of marine pollution
Summary
Researchers quantified synthetic microfibers released from domestic laundry wastewater in an Indian city, finding 200–500 fibers per 500 ml sample with lengths of 10–30 mm and diameters of 10–20 µm, and used electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy to characterize their composition as a key step toward controlling this pollution source.
Synthetic microfibers are universally recognized as an emerging pollutant in all ecosystems. The present investigation focuses on the evaluation and quantification of synthetic microfiber released from domestic laundering wastewater from different regions of Bhubaneswar city of Odisha state of India. The estimated number of microfibers collected from 500 ml of sample varied from 200 to 500 in numbers with an average amount of biomass in the range of 0.4-4 g. The surface morphology of the samples was assessed by Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis which revealed that the fibers were having a length of approximately 10-30 mm and diameter of 10-20 μm. Carbonyl (CO) stretching band at 1711 cm and Aldehyde (CH) Weak bond at 2917.38 cm absorption were recorded from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. As microfibers released from synthetic apparels are major source of environmental microplastic pollution their precise detection could help in controlling this problem.
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