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Impact of Chitosan Pretreatment to Reduce Microfibers Released from Synthetic Garments during Laundering
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This study tested whether treating synthetic garments with a chitosan (natural shellfish-derived polymer) coating before washing could reduce the number of microfibers released into wastewater. Chitosan pretreatment significantly reduced microfiber shedding from both polyester and nylon fabrics. This approach offers a practical, scalable way to reduce microfiber pollution at the source — the washing of synthetic textiles — which is one of the largest contributors to microplastic contamination in waterways.
Sewage treatment can remove more than 90% of microplastics, yet large amounts of microplastics are discharged into the ocean. Because microfibers (MFs), primarily generated from the washing of synthetic clothes, are the most abundant type of microplastics among various microplastics detected in the sewage treatment, reducing the amount of MFs entering these treatment plants is necessary. This study aimed to test whether the amount of MFs released from the washing process can be reduced by applying a chitosan pretreatment to the garments before washing. Before the chitosan pretreatment, the polyester clothes released 148 MFs/L, whereas 95% of MFs were reduced after the chitosan pretreatment with 0.7% of chitosan solution. The chitosan pretreatment was applied to other types of garments, such as polyamide and acrylic garments, by treating them with 0.7% of chitosan solution; subsequently, MFs reduced by 48% and 49%, respectively. A morphology analysis conducted after washing revealed that chitosan coating on the polyamide and acrylic were more damaged than on polyester, suggesting that the binding strength of polyamide and acrylic with chitosan was weaker than that of polyester garment. Thus, the results suggested that the chitosan pretreatment might be a promising solution for reducing the amount of MFs generated in the laundering process.
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Impact of Chitosan Pretreatment to Reduce Microfibers Released From Synthetic Garments During Laundering
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Researchers found that pre-treating synthetic garments with chitosan—a natural biopolymer—before washing significantly reduced the number of microfibers released during laundering. Since washing synthetic clothes is one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution in waterways, chitosan treatment could be a practical way to reduce this contamination at the source.
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Researchers modified polyester fabrics with chitosan biopolymer coatings to reduce the amount of microplastic fibers shed during washing. Chitosan-treated fabrics released significantly fewer fiber particles, offering a practical approach to reducing microplastic pollution from laundry — a major source of aquatic microfiber contamination.
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Every time you wash polyester clothes, tiny plastic fibers break off and wash into our waterways—and eventually, potentially into our food and water supply. Researchers found that treating polyester fabric with a special surface coating (using a natural, shrimp-shell-derived substance called chitosan) before washing cut the release of these microplastic fibers by up to 63%. This suggests clothing manufacturers could one day treat fabrics during production to significantly reduce microplastic pollution before it ever reaches your washing machine.
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Washing synthetic textiles releases microplastic fibers into wastewater, and this study reviewed the scale of the problem and explored strategies to reduce emissions at the washing machine, garment design, and wastewater treatment levels. Textile laundering is considered one of the largest sources of microplastic fiber pollution reaching aquatic environments.
Synthetic Textiles and Microplastics
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This review examines how synthetic textiles shed microfibers during washing and drying, covering the mechanisms of release, the environmental fate of microfibers in aquatic systems, and strategies for reducing microplastic pollution from the fashion and textile industry.
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