Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The significant impacts of laundry wastewater on microplastics: a case study in a residential area

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in laundry wastewater from a residential area and tracked their contribution to urban drainage, finding that laundry effluent is a significant and underestimated source of microfibers entering municipal sewer systems and subsequently rivers.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfiber pollution: Assessment, emission estimation, and time-series-based forecast of microfibers from domestic washing machine laundering and mitigation measures.

This study measured microfiber release from domestic washing machines in India, finding substantial emissions with each wash cycle, and used the data to forecast future microfiber pollution as laundry machine use grows. The findings highlight domestic laundry as a major and growing source of synthetic microfiber pollution in emerging economies.

2024 Integrated environmental assessment and management
Article Tier 2

Detection, characterization and possible biofragmentation of synthetic microfibers released from domestic laundering wastewater as an emerging source of marine pollution

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.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and morphological characterization of microfibers emitted from textile washing

Textile microfibers released during washing machine cycles were quantified and characterized, with the study finding that fiber type, fabric construction, and wash conditions all influenced emission quantities. The results confirm textile washing as a significant and ongoing source of microplastic fiber pollution in wastewater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Textile microfibers reaching aquatic environments: A new estimation approach

Researchers developed a new estimation approach for quantifying the mass flow of textile microfibers from household laundry that ultimately reaches aquatic environments, addressing the absence of accurate models for assessing microfiber contributions to microplastic pollution. The method provides a more systematic framework for estimating the environmental load from domestic washing.

2020 Environmental Pollution 89 citations
Article Tier 2

The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution

Real-scale wash trials of synthetic commercial garments measured microfiber release per wash, finding that release varied significantly with textile type, structure, and age, with some items releasing over 700,000 fibers per wash. The study quantifies the contribution of synthetic textile washing to microplastic pollution and identifies fiber characteristics that govern release rates.

2019 Scientific Reports 752 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic fibre releases from industrial wastewater effluent: a textile wet-processing mill in China

Researchers sampled industrial wastewater from a textile wet-processing mill in China and found an average of 361.6 microplastic fibers per liter in the effluent, with 92% shorter than 1000 micrometers. The study suggests that industrial textile processing is a significant point source of microplastic fiber pollution that has been understudied relative to domestic laundering, and that targeting these effluents could meaningfully reduce global microfiber releases.

2021 Environmental Chemistry 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments from washing synthetic textiles

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.

2021 Figshare
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

Synthetic microfibers: Pollution toxicity and remediation

Researchers reviewed the sources, transport pathways, ecological impacts, and remediation approaches for synthetic microfiber pollution originating from domestic washing machines. The study highlights that urban laundry wastewater is a major contributor to microfiber pollution entering aquatic and terrestrial environments, with potential effects on the food chain and human health.

2020 Chemosphere 284 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfiber from textile dyeing and printing wastewater of a typical industrial park in China: Occurrence, removal and release

Textile dyeing and printing wastewater in a Chinese industrial park contained up to 54,100 microfibers per liter, and even after treatment the effluent released 430 billion microfibers per day into receiving waterways. The study identifies textile wastewater as a far larger source of microfibers than municipal sewage treatment plants.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 156 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Release from Domestic Washing

Researchers measured microfiber release from domestic washing of textile materials across five washing cycles, finding that the amount of microplastic fiber shed varied significantly with washing conditions and fiber type, contributing to aquatic microplastic pollution.

2021 European Journal of Science and Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Release of polyester and cotton fibers from textiles in machine washings

Researchers quantified the release of polyester and cotton microfibers from textiles during sequential machine washings. They found that the first wash released the most fibers, with amounts decreasing in subsequent washes, and estimated that household washing machines in Finland release hundreds of thousands of kilograms of textile microfibers annually. The study highlights laundry as a significant and ongoing source of microplastic and microfiber pollution entering wastewater systems.

2017 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 246 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimation of Laundry-derived Microfiber Discharges into Wastewater: A Case Study in Hanoi City

Researchers analyzed 30 household laundry wastewater samples from Hanoi, Vietnam, finding extremely high microplastic concentrations averaging 96,296 particles per cubic meter, with fibers making up 99.6% of all particles and 12 polymer types identified.

2025 VNU Journal of Science Earth and Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

A novel approach for rapid quantification and length distribution of microfibers released during domestic laundry.

Researchers developed a novel rapid method for directly quantifying microfibers released during domestic laundry and deriving their length distribution density function, addressing the lack of standardized quantification approaches for this significant source of microfiber pollution.

2025 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

A review on microplastic emission from textile materials and its reduction techniques

Researchers reviewed how synthetic textile fibers — tiny plastic threads released from clothes during washing, drying, and wearing — are a major source of microplastic pollution, entering waterways and food chains through seafood, salt, and drinking water. They identify fabric type, detergent, and washing conditions as key factors affecting fiber release, and propose textile finishing and regulatory strategies to reduce emissions.

2022 Polymer Degradation and Stability 291 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfibers from synthetic textiles as a major source of microplastics in the environment: A review

This review examines how synthetic textile garments release thousands of microplastic fibers during each wash cycle, making laundry a major source of microplastic pollution. Even though wastewater treatment plants capture most fibers, billions still escape into waterways each day because the incoming volume is so enormous. These fibers end up in rivers, oceans, and soil, where they can be consumed by aquatic life and eventually reach humans through the food chain.

2021 Textile Research Journal 347 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Wastewater by Washing Polyester Fabrics

Researchers investigated microplastic fiber release from polyester fabrics during washing, characterizing the quantity and types of microplastics generated and their potential pathway into wastewater systems as a significant source of environmental microplastic pollution.

2022 Materials 139 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics abundance in domestic wastewater as a pollutant source for the Daroy River, Indonesia

Researchers quantified microplastic abundance in untreated domestic wastewater discharged directly to the Daroy River in Aceh Province, Indonesia, finding that soaps, detergents, and clothing fibers released during washing are significant contributors to microplastic contamination of the receiving waterway.

2024 Journal of Water and Land Development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Global microplastic fiber pollution from domestic laundry

This study estimates that global laundry releases 5.69 million tons of microplastic fibers per year, with machine washing responsible for about 94% of the total. Asia produces the most fiber pollution at 3.71 million tons annually, partly because wastewater treatment there captures fewer fibers. These tiny plastic fibers from our clothes end up in waterways, soil, and eventually in the food and water people consume.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater: microfiber emissions from common household laundry

A household laundry study found that a 6 kg load of synthetic clothing released an average of 18 million microfibers into wastewater, with 93% of fibers under 500 micrometers in length. This is the first characterization of microfiber emissions under real household conditions, confirming laundry as a major domestic source of small microplastic pollution.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollution by anthropogenic microfibers in North-West Mediterranean Sea and efficiency of microfiber removal by a wastewater treatment plant

Researchers systematically measured synthetic microfiber pollution across multiple environmental compartments in an urban area of northwest France, including air, washing machine effluent, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) inlet/outlet, and Mediterranean coastal and offshore waters. They found that clothing laundering was a major microfiber source, and while the WWTP removed a substantial proportion of fibers, significant quantities still entered coastal waters.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Commercial clothes dryers: a source of microfiber emissions to air

Researchers quantified microfiber emissions from commercial clothes dryers and measured deposition patterns around laundromats, identifying commercial dryers as a significant and poorly studied source of airborne microplastic pollution.

2025 Environmental Research Communications
Article Tier 2

Microfibres from Textile Industry Effluents

Researchers reviewed the fate of microfibres released from textile industry effluents, finding that conventional wastewater treatment is insufficient to fully remove fibres, which then enter receiving waterways and contribute to environmental microplastic loads.

2024