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

ABSTRACT: When clothes are worn and washed, they emit fibres into the ecosystem via discharges of sewage that have been linked to the global dispersion of clothing fibres. Facilities that treat sewage divert some fibres from sewage effluent to sludge, but no current methods of filtration eliminate their environmental release. While filters for washing-machines are sold to consumers with the argument they will reduce the emissions of fibres from clothes to the environment, there is insufficient scientific peer-reviewed evidence assessing their ability to retain fibres from washed clothes and reduce environmental contamination. To improve our understanding and develop more realistic methods to assess the efficiency of filters, we washed replicate cotton and polyester garments in replicate domestic fro

SUBMITTER: Browne MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7304565 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature