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Washing load influences the microplastic release from polyester fabrics by affecting wettability and mechanical stress
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Washing load size significantly influenced microfiber release from polyester fabrics, with larger loads generating greater absolute fiber quantities but lower per-item release, linked to changes in fabric wettability and the mechanical abrasion forces experienced during the wash cycle.
Microplastics released from textiles during the washing process represent the most prevalent type of microparticles found in different environmental compartments and ecosystems around the world. Release of microfibres during the washing process of synthetic textiles is due to the mechanical and chemical stresses that clothes undergo in washing machines. Several washing process parameters, conditions, formulations of laundering additives have been correlated to microfibre release and some of them have been identified to affect microfibre release during washing process, while no correlation has been evaluated between microfibre release and washing load. In the present study, microfibre release was evaluated as function of the washing load in a real washing process, indicating a progressive decrease of microfibre release with increasing washing load. The quantity of released microfibres increased by around 5 times by decreasing the washing load due to a synergistic effect between water-volume to fabric ratio and mechanical stress during washing. Moreover, the higher mechanical stress to which the fabric is subjected in the case of a low washing load, hinders the discrimination of the effect on the release of other washing parameters like the type of detergent and laundry additives used.
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This laboratory study found that water volume used during laundry washing significantly influences the release of microplastic fibers from polyester textiles, with larger water volumes releasing more fibers per wash cycle. The findings suggest that high-efficiency washing machines using less water may inadvertently release more concentrated fiber-laden effluent to wastewater treatment systems.
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Researchers quantified microplastic shedding from three polyester fabric types — woven, knitted, and double-faced plush — under standardized washing conditions at 60°C using gravimetric analysis and physicochemical characterization of wastewater over 5- and 10-cycle wash experiments. Results showed fabric structure influences shedding propensity, and that the majority of fragments are released during the first washing cycles.
Polyester Textiles as a Source of Microplastics from Households: A Mechanistic Study to Understand Microfiber Release During Washing
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