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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Future Island-Island Impact Cards:Rathlin Wool Rope
ClearDeveloping the Use of Wool Rope within Aquaculture—A Systematic Review
This systematic review explores whether wool rope could replace plastic rope in seaweed aquaculture, reducing plastic pollution in marine environments. The research is directly relevant to microplastic concerns because conventional plastic ropes used in ocean farming gradually break down into microplastic particles that contaminate marine ecosystems and the seafood we eat.
Marine Biodegradability and Ecotoxicity of MWool® Recycled Wool Fibers: A Circular-Economy-Based Material
Researchers tested MWool recycled wool fibers for marine biodegradability and ecotoxicity, finding that these fibers biodegrade in marine conditions and show low toxicity to marine organisms, supporting their potential as a more sustainable alternative to synthetic microfibers from textile washing.
Alternative Rope Materials in Towed Fishing Gear to Reduce Plastic Waste, A Comparative Study of Mechanical Properties and Tolerance Against Wear and Tear
Researchers compared the wear tolerance of 14 different rope materials in demersal fisheries, including conventional synthetic polymers and biodegradable alternatives, to identify lower-plastic options that can reduce fishing gear-derived plastic waste.
Potential microplastic release from the maritime industry: Abrasion of rope
Researchers quantified microplastic production from maritime rope use, finding that older, more worn ropes shed significantly more microplastic fibers during hauling, identifying the maritime industry as an underestimated source of ocean plastic pollution.
Eco-Friendly Processing of Wool and Sustainable Valorization of This Natural Bioresource
This review examines sustainable approaches to wool processing and valorization as an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic polymers that generate micro- and nanoplastics. The study highlights new applications for wool beyond textiles, including thermal insulation, fertilizer use, and biomedical materials, emphasizing wool's natural biodegradability as a key advantage over plastic-based fibers.
Circular and lower impact mussel and seaweed aquaculture by a shift towards bio‐based ropes
This review examines how shifting mussel and seaweed aquaculture from conventional plastic ropes to bio-based alternatives could reduce marine litter and microplastic generation. Bio-based ropes offer comparable functionality while providing better end-of-life options, including recycling and biodegradation. The transition would support circular economy principles and help reduce the aquaculture industry's contribution to ocean plastic pollution.
Eco-friendly thermoplastic-basalt composite buoy system: eliminating microplastic pollution in marine oyster farming
An eco-friendly thermoplastic-basalt composite material was proposed as an alternative to conventional buoy systems, designed to reduce microplastic shedding into marine environments. The study demonstrates that material substitutions in maritime infrastructure can meaningfully cut a source of ocean plastic pollution.
Challenge in increasing the use of animal-origin textile fibers to reduce microplastic pollution on earth
This review argues that replacing synthetic textile fibers with natural animal-origin fibers—such as wool and silk—could significantly reduce the release of microplastic fibers during washing, which currently contributes large quantities of plastic pollution to aquatic environments. The authors propose a scientific and policy framework to scale up natural-fiber use as a practical strategy for cutting textile-derived microplastic contamination.
Avoiding synthetic fibres by choice: Strategies employed by businesses and their policy recommendations
Researchers interviewed fifteen companies actively working to avoid or reduce synthetic fibre content in their products, identifying strategies including wool and cotton specialisation, plastic-free brand identities, and supply chain redesign, alongside policy recommendations for reducing synthetic textile production at scale.
Degradation of common polymer ropes in a sublittoral marine environment
This study monitored the degradation of polypropylene, polyethylene, and nylon ropes placed on the seafloor of a Scottish sea loch, finding that all polymer types shed fibers and fragments over the 12-month experiment. The results suggest that lost and abandoned fishing gear is a significant ongoing source of microplastic fibers in marine sediments.
Weathering effects on microplastic production in fishing rope hauler operations: mechanical abrasion
Researchers quantified microplastic production from fishing rope surfaces during hauler operations by simulating the fishing process at varying weights and frequencies, using FTIR microscopy to characterize the size distribution and morphology of particles abraded from rope surfaces.
Searching for SMART(er) solutions: A laboratory-assessment of microplastic release from aquaculture nets and ropes
Researchers tested aquaculture and fishing gear under simulated in-water abrasion to measure microplastic release rates under realistic operational conditions. The study found that net and rope materials shed substantial quantities of microplastics through routine mechanical wear.
Biomaterial Experimental Design Practices as an Strategy for Sustainable Fashion
This paper explores biomaterial design — including alternatives to synthetic polyester fibers — to drive sustainability innovation in the fashion industry. Reducing reliance on synthetic textiles like polyester could help decrease microplastic fiber pollution released during washing.
Towards the Sustainability of the Plastic Industry through Biopolymers: Properties and Potential Applications to the Textiles World
This review explored the potential of biopolymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics in the textile industry, covering applications in spinning, dyeing, and finishing processes to reduce microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles.
Circular economy in action: Transforming textile waste into sustainable soil additives - Physicochemical properties and biodegradability
Researchers developed biodegradable soil additives from waste wool, jute, and linen as alternatives to synthetic materials that break down into microplastics. In a three-year field test, the natural fiber materials gradually biodegraded in soil while still providing water-retention benefits for plant growth. This approach could help reduce the steady buildup of microplastics in agricultural soil that comes from using conventional synthetic soil amendments.
Entangled Echoes: Converting Oceanic Chaos into Textile Harmony
This garment design project transformed ocean waste materials into a hand-knitted textile artwork using biodegradable fibers in oceanic colors, aiming to raise awareness of marine microplastic and microfiber pollution through sustainable fashion.
Marine Biodegradation Behavior of Wool and Other Textile Fibers
Marine biodegradation tests on wool and other textile fibers found that natural wool degraded substantially faster than synthetic fibers in seawater, raising questions about whether wool fiber treatments alter its environmental persistence.
Performance Spectrum of Home-Compostable Biopolymer Fibers Compared to a Petrochemical Alternative
Researchers compared home-compostable biopolymer fibers to conventional petrochemical alternatives, evaluating their mechanical performance and degradability to assess whether biobased materials can serve as viable substitutes that reduce microplastic pollution.
Research on Recycling Design of Clothing Textiles Based on Sustainable Development
This review examines sustainable design strategies for recycling and reusing clothing and textiles, covering the full lifecycle from design to end-of-life disposal. Textile recycling is relevant to microplastic pollution because synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon shed microplastic fibers during washing.
Sustainable collection development towards greener future: Earthsavers
Researchers examined the 'Earthsavers' sustainable textile collection as a case study in environmentally aware fashion design, analyzing how the collection addresses environmental harms from the textile sector including waste disposal, resource depletion, and the role of synthetic plastic-based fabrics.
Microplastic emissions from fishing ropes: Quantification, characteristics, and implications for marine pollution
Researchers quantified microplastics generated from the mechanical abrasion of polypropylene-based fishing ropes and found that over 92% of released particles were non-fiber fragments rather than fibers. Each additional kilogram of hauling weight produced roughly 1.4 extra microplastic particles per meter of rope. Global estimates suggest that fishing rope abrasion alone releases approximately 768 trillion microplastic particles annually, highlighting fishing gear as a substantial and often overlooked source of marine microplastic pollution.
Modeling marine microplastic emissions in Life Cycle Assessment: characterization factors for biodegradable polymers and their application in a textile case study
Researchers developed new methods for measuring the environmental impact of biodegradable plastic microplastic emissions using life cycle assessment. They found that microplastic degradation rates may be overestimated when based on data from larger plastic pieces, and that microplastic emissions could account for up to 30% of the total environmental impact in a textile case study. The work aims to improve the accuracy of environmental comparisons between conventional and biodegradable materials.
Barley Straw Fiber Extraction in the Context of a Circular Economy
This paper is not about microplastics; it investigates extracting natural fibres from barley straw to make sustainable textile and composite materials as part of a circular economy approach to agricultural waste.
Synthetic fibers as microplastics in the marine environment: A review from textile perspective with a focus on domestic washings
This review examined synthetic fibers as a source of microplastics in the marine environment, tracing the full textile lifecycle from manufacturing through use and disposal to understand where and how fibers enter aquatic systems.