Quantification of shedding propensity of polyesterfabrics in the washing process

Global microplastic (MP) pollution from primary and secondary sources is partly caused by the growing trend towards the use of plastics. One of the most important factors for the persistence of MP in the environment is their high resistance to degradation. The washing process has been identified as a risk and source of various pollutants in wastewater and numerous studies have been published. This study focuses on three different polyester fabrics: woven, knitted and double-faced plush fabrics, which were washed under standard conditions with the reference detergent ECE A at 60 °C for 40 min. Different methods were used to quantify the released fragments in a 5- and 10-cycle wash, to analyse the samples gravimetrically and to characterise the wastewaters by physicochemical parameters and filter cake. The results proved that the structure of polyester fabrics plays a role in shedding, although most fragments were released from all polyester fabrics in the first washing cycles.