Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Development and Efficiency Evaluation of Microplastic Removal Filter for Laundry Machines

Researchers developed a four-stage filter for laundry machines designed to capture microplastics released during washing. Over 50 tests, the filter achieved an average microplastic removal rate of 98.5%, along with 92% removal of chemical oxygen demand. The most common microplastics in laundry wastewater were polyethylene (57%), followed by PET and nylon, highlighting both the scale of laundry-related microplastic pollution and the effectiveness of filtration solutions.

2025 Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Improvement of a microfiber filter for domestic washing machines

Researchers improved a microfiber filter designed for domestic washing machines to more effectively capture synthetic microfibers and microplastics released during laundry cycles, testing filter performance across different fabric types and washing conditions. The enhanced filter design achieved higher capture rates of microfibers compared to existing solutions, representing a practical household-level intervention to reduce microplastic emissions to wastewater.

2022 Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Filtration Systems for Microplastic Elimination in Wastewater

Synthetic microfibers and microplastic particles released during industrial laundry processes are a significant but under-addressed source of water pollution. This study designed a three-stage textile cascade filter system capable of capturing microplastic particles down to 1.5 micrometers from laundry wastewater, achieving high removal efficiency using progressively finer polypropylene filter media. The approach offers a practical engineering solution for reducing microplastic discharge from commercial laundries before it reaches waterways.

2025 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of MiniPlast Filters for Microplastic Removal from Laundry Wastewater

Researchers evaluated MiniPlast in-washing machine filters for capturing synthetic microfibers released during laundry cycles, finding that the filters significantly reduced microplastic emissions in wastewater and could serve as a practical household intervention for reducing microfiber pollution.

2025 Jurnal Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Alam dan Lingkungan (Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Management)
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Filtering Systems to Reduce Microfiber Emissions from Textiles during Household Laundering

This study evaluated sustainable filtration systems for capturing microfibers released from synthetic textiles during household washing, assessing their efficiency in reducing the entry of these microplastic fibers into wastewater.

2023 Polymers 17 citations
Article Tier 2

A self-cleaning, bio-inspired high retention filter for a major entry path of microplastics

Researchers designed a washing machine filter inspired by how ram-feeding fish use their gill arches to strain food from water, achieving up to 99.6% retention of microplastic fibers while a built-in self-cleaning mechanism prevents clogging. This bio-inspired filter could significantly reduce the estimated millions of microfibers released into waterways from household laundry each year.

2025 npj Emerging Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Laundry Wastewater Using Coagulation and Membrane Combination: A Laboratory-Scale Study

Researchers characterized microplastics in raw domestic laundry wastewater (9,000–11,000 particles/L, dominated by polyester fibers) and tested whether combining coagulation with ultrafiltration membrane filtration improved MP removal. The combined process significantly enhanced removal compared to coagulation alone, highlighting laundry wastewater as a major MP source amenable to treatment at scale.

2025 Membranes 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics/Microfibers and Detergents from Laundry Wastewater by Microbubble Flotation

Researchers developed a microbubble flotation system that removes over 98% of microplastics and 95% of detergent surfactants from laundry wastewater. The study successfully scaled the approach from bench-level to a pilot-scale column over 5 meters tall, demonstrating a practical, cost-effective solution for treating one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution entering waterways.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving of an easy, effective and low-cost method for isolation of microplastic fibers collected in drying machines filters

Researchers improved and validated a low-cost method for isolating microplastic fibers from water samples, addressing methodological gaps in measuring fiber release from clothing in both washing and mechanical drying processes.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Pore-size and polymer affect the ability of filters for washing-machines to reduce domestic emissions of fibres to sewage

This study tested whether washing machine filters could meaningfully reduce the emission of synthetic textile fibers into sewage. Results showed filter effectiveness varied significantly by pore size and fiber type, and current consumer filters did not eliminate fiber emissions, suggesting they are insufficient as a standalone solution for microplastic pollution from laundry.

2020 PLoS ONE 17 citations
Article Tier 2

A self-cleaning, bio-inspired high retention filter for a major entry path of microplastics

Researchers developed a bio-inspired self-cleaning filter for washing machine microplastic fibre capture, modeled on the gill arch system of ram-feeding fish, achieving high retention efficiency while resisting clogging — a key limitation of existing domestic filtration solutions.

2025
Article Tier 2

Reuse of Water in Laundry Applications with Micro- and Ultrafiltration Ceramic Membrane

Microfiltration and ultrafiltration ceramic membranes were compared for the treatment of laundry wastewater containing microfibers, with both membranes achieving high microfiber removal while the ultrafiltration membrane provided better water quality for reuse. The study supports ceramic membrane filtration as an effective approach to capturing textile microplastics at the point of washing.

2022 Membranes 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Inquinamento da microplastiche: implementazione di un metodo per la riduzione delle emissioni dalle lavatrici = Microplastics pollution: development of a method for the reduction of emissions from washing machines

This Italian thesis study developed methods to reduce microplastic fiber emissions from washing machines, testing various filter approaches. Since synthetic textile washing is one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution entering wastewater, reducing emissions at the washing machine level could significantly decrease the amount of microplastics reaching waterways.

2021
Article Tier 2

Are we overestimate the contribution of microplastics from industrial laundry? Microplastic exploration in an industrial laundry: Quantification and elimination

Researchers investigated microplastic contributions from an industrial laundry in Sweden and tested two filtration technologies for removal. Both drum filtration and ultrafiltration achieved over 90% microplastic removal efficiency by mass, with polyester and smaller fragments being the most prevalent particles. However, a mass balance analysis revealed that local town wastewater contributed even more microplastics than the industrial laundry, suggesting that the contribution from industrial laundries may be overestimated.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect Of Top-Loading Washing Operational Setting On Microplastic Fibers Released From Cloth During The Washing Process And Filtered By Filter Cloth

Researchers investigated the effects of washing machine spin speed, operation time, and repeated wash cycles on microplastic fiber release from textiles in a top-loading machine, evaluating how washing operational settings influence the amount of microplastics captured by filter cloth before reaching wastewater treatment.

2024 Asian Journal of Engineering Social and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and retention of laundry microplastic fibres in slow sand filtration systems

Slow sand filtration — one of the most energy-efficient water treatment methods — was tested for its ability to remove laundry-derived microplastic fibers from washing machine effluent, with results showing 92–95% removal at the lowest flow rate tested. Fine sand filters slightly outperformed coarse sand, and the top layer of the filter did most of the work. Given that laundry wastewater is a major source of microplastic fiber pollution entering waterways, these results support slow sand filtration as a practical, low-cost add-on treatment to prevent fiber release.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants of Wuhan, Central China: Abundance, removal, and potential source in household wastewater

Two wastewater treatment plants in Wuhan, China, removed 62-66% of incoming microplastics, and household sources including clothing laundering, facial cleansers, and toothpaste were identified as dominant contributors. Washing one kilogram of clothing released over 150,000 fibers, making laundry the largest single household microplastic source.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from textile origin – emission and reduction measures

This paper reviews the emission of fibrous microplastics from synthetic textiles during washing and their pathway through wastewater treatment plants into aquatic environments. It also summarizes available reduction measures such as laundry filters and fiber-releasing fabric design modifications.

2021 Green Chemistry 78 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Literature Study on Microfibres from Washing Machines

This literature review covers what is known about microfibers shed from textiles during washing, including which fabrics shed most, how filters might help, and where these fibers end up in the environment. Washing machine filters are identified as a promising intervention to reduce this major source of microplastic pollution.

2019 Tenside Surfactants Detergents 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines: Effects of fabric type and washing conditions

Researchers measured synthetic microfiber release from domestic washing machines in real household conditions, finding that millions of fibers are shed per wash cycle, with fiber release influenced by fabric type and wash parameters.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1556 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification, removal of microplastics and surfactants from laundry wastewater using electrocoagulation method

Laundry wastewater from a 2 kg synthetic fabric load released up to 114,300 microfibers per wash, and an electrocoagulation treatment removed roughly 98% of those fibers along with surfactants and organic load in about 25 minutes at a cost of US$0.53 per cubic meter. The results highlight both how significant laundry is as a microplastic source and that electrocoagulation is a cost-effective option for treating it before wastewater reaches natural waterways.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Treatment to Immobilize and Use Textiles Microfibers Retained in Polymeric Filters through Their Incorporation in Composite Materials

Researchers developed a novel method to immobilize textile microfibers captured in polymeric washing machine filters by incorporating them into composite polymer matrices, transforming a waste microplastic stream into a potentially reusable construction or industrial material rather than releasing it to the environment.

2022 Polymers 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantity and fate of synthetic microfiber emissions from apparel washing in California and strategies for their reduction

Researchers quantified synthetic microfiber emissions from apparel washing across California, finding laundry to be a major microplastic source, and evaluated strategies including appliance filters and fabric standards to reduce microfiber releases to wastewater systems.

2022 Environmental Pollution 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Capturing microfibers – marketed technologies reduce microfiber emissions from washing machines

Researchers tested three commercially available microfiber capture devices installed in washing machines and found that they significantly reduced the number and mass of microfibers released in laundry effluent. The results support the potential of in-machine filtration as a practical intervention to reduce microfiber pollution from domestic laundering.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 197 citations