Synthetic Nano- and Microfibers
Abstract
Global production of fibrous material is significantly growing reaching an expected 145 million metric tons in 2030. Fiber production includes mostly synthetic polymers, cotton and man-made cellulose (viscose). The main uses are in clothing, household and furnishing, industrial construction, automotive and other. Increasing consumption of fabric material causes the accumulation of single fibers into the natural environment. Significant numbers are discharged via wastewater from washing clothes, deposition from atmosphere or by other ways of transport. Fibers are now the most prevalent type of anthropogenic particles found by microplastic pollution surveys around the world. Substantial fiber concentrations are found in surface water, deep-sea and fresh water ecosystems. Consequently, fibers are present in food, drinking water, human lungs and digestive tracts of aquatic animals. Currently, there is great concern for the release of plastic nano- and micro fibers and microparticles (microplastics) to the natural environment for which nobody knows, so far, the ultimate consequences for health and ecological homeostasis. The potential risk introduced by the presence of fibers in the environment induces significant interest.These challenges were the source of inspiration for organizing our workshop . A group of scientists from different parts of the world met on Nov 4/5 2019 at Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands,…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Green Chemistry: A Framework for a Sustainable Future
- Nano/micro-plastic, an invisible threat getting into the brain
- Emerging contaminants antibiotic resistance genes and microplastics in the environment: Introduction to 21 review articles published in CREST during 2018–2022
- Water Resources and Sustainable Development
- Nano- and microplastics in the workplace
- Water Enclosure and World-Literature: New Perspectives on Hydro-Power and World-Ecology
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.