Fibre Shedding Research Articles

Quantification of Fiber Shedding from Cotton Fabrics During Drying in a Domestic Heat Pump Tumble Dryer

ABSTRACT Tumble drying of textiles is associated with mechanical and thermal stress, which leads to textile damage and shedding of fibers. In this study, fiber shedding from cotton textiles is investigated by evaluating the mass of fibers accumulated on different filters positioned downstream of the tumble dryer drum. The total mass of fibers at the end of drying was positively correlated with the dry mass of the loaded textiles. By observing the time-dependent accumulation of fibers on a high-performance filter, three different phases of fiber shedding could be identified. In the first phase, which lasted up to a textile moisture content of about 35%, only minimal fiber accumulation was detected. The following phase lasted almost until the end of drying and showed the highest fiber accumulation rates. In the last phase, the rate of fiber accumulation decreased. The experiments also showed that longer tumbling of textiles with a lower moisture content led to a greater total mass of accumulated fibers. To reduce fiber shedding, damage to the textiles and the resulting pollution, it is recommended to reduce the mechanical loading of textiles, especially in the final stages of the drying process.

Point-source tracking of microplastics in sewerage systems. Finding the culprit

Prior microplastic (MP) research has focused more on the efficiency of removal techniques within wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), with comparatively less emphasis placed on identifying and understanding the sources of MPs. In this study, the presence of MP in wastewater from various sources and their associated WWTPs was investigated. Utilising focal plane array micro Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FPA-μFTIR), the chemical composition, size distribution, and mass of MPs were quantified. Notably, wastewater generated from an industrial laundry facility exhibited the highest MP concentration of 6900 counts L−1 or 716 μg L−1. Domestic sewage contained MP levels (1534 counts L−1; 158 μg L−1) similar to those at the WWTPs (1640 counts L−1; 114 μg L−1). Polyester was identified as a significant component in most of the sources, predominantly originating from the shedding of fibres during textile washing. Additionally, a post-processing software was employed to compare two methods for fibre identification: aspect ratio and elongation ratio. These findings underscore the potential environmental impact of domestic activities and laundry washing on wastewater MP content.

Shedding off-the-grid: The role of garment manufacturing and textile care in global microfibre pollution

Textile fibres are abundant anthropogenic pollutants. These fibres enter aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, and biota. Textile fibres pose biological and chemical threats to the environments they pollute. Laundry is a primary source of synthetic and natural textile fibres. Fibre shed from laundry performed in electric washing machines is well characterised. However, over 50% of the global population does not have regular access to an electric washing machine. Without regular access to an electric washing machine, people launder ‘off-the-grid’ with locally specific methods. Their variable laundry methods present a significant challenge to quantifying microfibre shed. This study makes an original contribution to studies of fibre shedding. First, it details laundry protocols in a Global South community. Second, it assesses how textile structure influences fibre shedding independent of laundry practices. To do this, we deploy a hand laundry protocol learned during ethnographic fieldwork. We show that hand-washed garments shed fibres in numbers comparable to machine-washed garments. We show how garment construction (knit and weave) influences fibre shedding. We find fibre type (cotton or polyester) does not. People who hand wash clothing cannot change practices contributing to textile fibre pollution. Thus, industry must act to minimise fibreshed from laundry at the global scale. This entails transforming the design, manufacture, and sale of textiles.

Comparison study on bending properties and failure of 3D5d and 3D6d carbon/phenolic braided composites at room and elevated temperatures

Three-dimensional five-directional and six-directional braided composites (3D5dBCs and 3D6dBCs) are widely used in aerospace industry for their excellent axial and transverse properties. This work successfully fabricated 3D5dBCs and 3D6dBCs with carbon/phenolic, and compared their bending properties and failure mechanisms at room and high temperatures (RT and HT). The influences of braiding structure and temperature on bending properties and failure mechanisms of 3D5dBCs and 3D6dBCs were analyzed. The load/deflection curves are linear elastic at RT, showing prominent plastic characteristics at HT. From RT to HT, the bending properties decrease, but 3D5dBCs always have higher bending properties than 3D6dBCs. The 3D5dBCs and 3D6dBCs are primarily damaged near the surface at RT; fiber shearing fracture feature becomes apparent and the interior damage worsens at HT. 3D5dBCs exhibit obvious shear failure mode, where the fracture is bent and rough, and the damage patterns are braiding and axial fibers shearing fracture, matrix softening, and interface debonding. 3D6dBCs show transverse sawtooth fracture cracks, and the damage mechanisms are braiding fiber shearing fracture, fifth fiber tearing, sixth fiber shedding and pulling-off, matrix plasticization, and interface debonding.

Filtration Performance and Fiber Shedding Behavior in Common Respirator and Face Mask Materials

Wearing respirators and face masks is effective for protecting the public from COVID-19 infection. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the performance of the commonly used respirators and face masks. Two experimental systems were developed to investigate seven different mask materials, which have a fiber size range from 0.1 μm (100 nm) to 20 μm (20,000 nm). One of the systems is a computer-controlled setup for measuring the filtration performance, including size-dependent filtration efficiency and pressure drop, while the other system is for testing the fiber shedding behavior of the materials. The technique of scanning electron microscope (SEM) was applied to observe the dimensions and structures of those materials, which are made of nonwoven-fabrics electret-treated media, cotton woven fabrics, or nanofiber media. The study indicated that the 3M N95 respirator has the best overall filtration performance with over 95% efficiency and low pressure drop of 74.1 Pa. The two commercial cotton face masks have the worst filtration performance in general, with a filtration efficiency of around 25%. No broken fibers from by the seven tested respirator and face mask materials were discovered; however, dendrite structures likely shed by the SHEMA97 face mask with a size comparable to its nanoscale fibers were identified. The reason for this phenomena is presented.

Examining the release of synthetic microfibres to the environment via two major pathways: Atmospheric deposition and treated wastewater effluent.

Research on the discharge of synthetic microfibres to aquatic environments has typically focused on laundering, where fibres can be discharged via wastewater effluent. However emerging research suggests that microfibres generated during the wear of textiles in normal use could present a major, additional, pathway for microfibre pollution to the environment. This study aimed to quantify and compare the quantities of microfibre entering the marine environment via both these pathways; wastewater discharge and atmospheric deposition. Areas of high and low population density were also evaluated. Samples were collected in and around two British cities (Bristol and Plymouth) both of which are located on tidal waters. Fibres originating from the atmosphere were deposited at an average rate of 81.6 fibres m2 d-1 across urban and rural areas. Treated wastewater effluent contained on an average 0.03 synthetic fibres L-1. Based on our results we predict ~20,000-500,000 microfibres could be discharged per day from the Wastewater Treatment Plants studied. When the two pathways were compared. Atmospheric deposition of synthetic microfibres appeared the dominant pathway, releasing fibres at a rate several orders of magnitude greater than via treated wastewater effluent. Potential options to reduce the release of microfibres to the environment are discussed and we conclude that intervention at the textile design stage presents the most effective approach. In order to guide policy intervention to inform the Plastics Treaty UNEA 5.2, future work should focus on understanding which permutations of textile design have the greatest influence fibre shedding, during both everyday use and laundering.

Effect of Laundry Parameters on Micro Fiber Loss during Washing and Its Correlation with Carbon Footprint

ABSTRACT Nowadays, with the fast growing fashion trend, a surge in fashion demand is there. In future, this demand may expect to increase further in multifold. A particular apparel design is not being used for longer period due to the fast changing fashion and this will cause the shedding of micro fibers. Most of the clothes are blends of polyester (synthetic fibers) and cotton (natural fibers) (P/C: 70:30) and when wash these clothes, the shed fibers coming out and pollute the environment. These shed fibers poses a major threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem and also human health. The experimental study was performed on washing machine, considering three parameters – time (duration of washing), detergent concentration of washing liquor and mechanical stress level, to study the shed fibers. The study shows that the major contributing parameter causing more fiber loss was found to be 1% (lower) detergent concentration, this was perhaps due to decrease in inter-fiber friction. On the other hand, high micro fiber loss was achieved at higher mechanical stress and processing time. Also, the increased mechanical stress, increases the friction between the fabric and drum. Thus increases the electricity consumption. The combined impact of time and detergent concentration, increase the fiber loss. With higher processing time and lower detergent concentration, increases the micro fiber loss. The increased processing time and mechanical stress increases the micro fiber shedding and electricity consumption.

Microfiber fallout during dining and potential human intake

The pervasiveness of microfibers, including fibrous microplastics indoors and outdoors, has drawn attention. However, some places such as the dining environment that are closely related to human diet and health have been neglected. Here, we characterized short-term microfiber fallout in different dining spots and conducted long-term monitoring in a college cafeteria. The results showed that the microfiber abundance of restaurants during the peak hour of dinnertime (75 ± 19 MFs/plate/meal) was approximately two times that of households (36 ± 23 MFs/plate/meal). The high microfiber abundance was positively correlated with strong human activities (i.e., sitting rate of people) in restaurants, which was verified by the kinetics data of the cafeteria (R2 =0.871, p = 0.000). Cotton (63%), polyester (17%), and rayon (14%) were the top three detected microfibers via μ-FTIR, and cloth friction can aggravate fiber shedding significantly. Moreover, high hairiness and short staple yarn style were likely to increase the formation of microfibers. Additionally, room structure can obviously influence microfiber abundance that households without separate dining rooms showed three times higher microfiber abundance (66 MFs/plate/meal) than those (21 MFs/plate/meal) with separate dining rooms, because partition walls were verified to effectively reduce fiber transport. Collectively, microfiber fallout during dining deserves our great attention, which may induce human intake of 63–232 MFs/person/d.

Filtration Performance and Fiber Shedding Behavior in Common Respirator and Face Mask Materials

Filtration Performance and Fiber Shedding Behavior in Common Respirator and Face Mask Materials

Domestic laundry and microfiber pollution: Exploring fiber shedding from consumer apparel textiles.

Synthetic fibers are increasingly seen to dominate microplastic pollution profiles in aquatic environments, with evidence pointing to textiles as a potentially important source. However, the loss of microfibers from textiles during laundry is poorly understood. We evaluated microfiber release from a variety of synthetic and natural consumer apparel textile samples (n = 37), with different material types, constructions, and treatments during five consecutive domestic laundry cycles. Microfiber loss ranged from 9.6 mg to 1,240 mg kg-1 of textile per wash, or an estimated 8,809 to > 6,877,000 microfibers. Mechanically-treated polyester samples, dominated by fleeces and jerseys, released six times more microfibers (161 ± 173 mg kg-1 per wash) than did nylon samples with woven construction and filamentous yarns (27 ± 14 mg kg-1 per wash). Fiber shedding was positively correlated with fabric thickness for nylon and polyester. Interestingly, cotton and wool textiles also shed large amounts of microfibers (165 ± 44 mg kg-1 per wash). The similarity between the average width of textile fibers here (12.4 ± 4.5 μm) and those found in ocean samples provides support for the notion that home laundry is an important source of microfiber pollution. Evaluation of two marketed laundry lint traps provided insight into intervention options for the home, with retention of up to 90% for polyester fibers and 46% for nylon fibers. Our observation of a > 850-fold difference in the number of microfibers lost between low and high shedding textiles illustrates the strong potential for intervention, including more sustainable clothing design.

Fluidic Flow Measurement Using Single Mode–Multimode–Single Mode Optical Fiber Sensor

The measurement of flow in fluidic channels is an essential task required for the proper operation of devices in many interesting applications. In this work, an optical fiber sensor based on a single mode - multimode - single mode (SMS) fiber structure is used to measure the flow in a millimeter-sized Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fluidic channel. The measurement is based on the phenomena of vortex shedding, where the immersed fiber section acts as an obstructing strut. The sensing principle assumes slight fiber bending with vortex shedding, resulting in intensity variations of the light transmitted through the fiber sensor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time modal interference in an SMS fiber structure is explored for flow detection in a microfluidic device. The flow-related shedding frequency was detected through intensity variations of the transmitted light at a suitable laser wavelength. The linearity of the detected frequency with flow rate is confirmed over the investigated flow range with high R <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> values up to 99%. The frequencies detected are compared to the theoretically expected frequencies based on the theory of vortex shedding past a rigid strut. Nevertheless, their relation to the flow velocity is found to deviate in slope from that of the theoretical relation, which could be due to the interaction of the flow with the flexible optical fiber shedding strut. The good linearity of this sensor makes it a promising component for macro and microfluidic flow measurement in many applications.

Impact of ironing on indoor particle levels and composition

Domestic chores are an important part of the household's daily routine and can contribute significantly to personal exposure. In this study, the particulate mass and number concentrations were assessed when using two irons (steam iron and steam iron with boiler) under distinct conditions (minimum ventilation and indoor doors open) and in the background air. The detailed PM10 chemical characterisation included organic and elemental carbon, elements and organic speciation. Particle number emission rates ranged from 8.1 ± 0.09 × 1011 to 15 ± 3.5 × 1011 particles min−1. Ratios of peak to background levels indicate that ironing can elevate the ultrafine particle number concentrations by a factor ranging from 35 to 194. PM10 emission rates from steam iron, under minimum ventilation conditions (6.6 ± 1.4 μg s−1), were higher than those from steam iron with the doors open (1.9 ± 1.6 μg s−1). The highest particle number and mass emission rates were recorded when the steam iron with boiler was used. Regarding the chemical composition of particles, elemental carbon and strontium were only detected during ironing. Bromide concentrations increased noticeably over background levels (9–51 times) during ironing. PM10 samples encompassed a wide range of organic compounds, part of which can be attributed to the handling of textiles and the use of detergents, fabric softeners, cosmetics and personal care products. Substances emitted by volatilisation or shedding of textile fibres, or due to handling, can contribute to human exposure through inhalation. The cancer risks associated with inhalation of metals and PAH were found to be negligible.

A review of the current status of microfiber pollution research in textiles

PurposeMicrofiber is one of the major sources of microplastic emission into the environment. In recent times, research on microfiber has gained momentum, and research across different disciplines was performed. However, no complete study was performed from the viewpoint of textiles to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour by relating the properties textiles. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the microfiber shedding behaviour in textiles.Design/methodology/approachArticles on the microfiber shedding across different disciplines were collected and analysed systematically to identify the influencing factor. The influence of laundry parameters is found to be majorly discussed section, yet very few research data is found on the effect of yarn and fabric properties on the microfiber shedding.FindingsMost of the articles listed laundry detergent addition, higher temperature, use of softeners, type of washing machines used and amount of liquid used as the major factors influencing the fiber shedding. Concerning the fiber and yarn characteristics, yarn twist, fiber type (staple/filament), method of production, fabric structure and specific density are reported as influencing factors. Some articles highlighted the influence of ageing of textiles on the fiber shedding.Originality/valueThe review identified the research gap in the textile sector and reports that so far, no research performed on microfiber shedding with the textile parameters. The review further urges the importance of research works to be performed in the textile by considering the fabric and yarn properties.

Activated Carbon Nanofiber Nonwovens: Improving Strength and Surface Area by Tuning Fabrication Procedure

Electrospun-based activated carbon nanofiber nonwovens (ACNFN) are interesting candidate materials for adsorption processes due to their high surface area and low flow-through resistance. However, the mechanical properties of these materials must be sufficient to withstand the conditions for use and to prevent breakage and fiber shedding. Improvements in the mechanical properties of the ACNFNs should not be accompanied by deterioration of other beneficial properties, however. In this research, improving the mechanical properties of ACNFN based on 14 wt % PAN/DMF was done by tuning the fabrication conditions. Carbonization occured at 600 °C for 2 h followed by steam activation at 750 °C for 1 h. We demonstrated the capability to generate ACNFN with high accessible surface area that reached 520 m 2 /g and acceptable mechanical strength (break strength, 0.9; 75 MPa, Young's modulus) for improved handling and use in different applications.

The connection between microscopic and macroscopic properties of ultra-high strength and ultra-high ductility cementitious composites (UHS-UHDCC)

There is an important connection between the microscopic and macroscopic properties of UHS-UHDCC with compressive strength (more than 160 MPa) and uniaxial tensile ductility (more than 6%). First, some microscopic properties were studied. For the fresh mortar matrix, the plastic viscosity within an optimal range is beneficial to achieve uniform fiber distribution. Compared with the fluorescence analysis, the backscattering analysis more truly displays the fiber distribution situation and cross section shapes of fibers. Based on the mesh size of three-dimensional grid formed by theoretically absolutely uniform distributed fibers, the river sand with an average particle size of 240 μm was selected as the aggregate. The addition of fibers slightly increases the porosity, the larger bubbles are not easy to be excreted due to the isolation of the fiber mesh. With the increasing of silica fume (SF) dosage and the decreasing of the water-binder ratio (w/b), the overall protruded length of fibers on fracture surface of tensile specimen reveals a decreasing trend, the hydration product attached to the fibers first increases and then decreases, and the decreasing accompanies a more severely scraped fiber surface, the fiber shedding changes from being no apparent to gradually increase. Increasing SF dosage or decreasing the w/b, the elastic modulus increases with different degrees, and the difference between the elastic modulus in interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of about 60 μm span and that of mortar matrix gets smaller and smaller. The elastic modulus in ITZ exhibits a gradient that first decreases and then increases. Further, the connection between microscopic and macroscopic (flexural、compressive、tensile) properties was analyzed. The highest fiber dispersion degree at mix proportion 0.4SF + W0.19 + PE and its suitable interfacial bonding strength together create the saturated multi-crack ductility of 6.53% and compressive strength of 163 MPa. When the strength growth benefitting from the increasing of interfacial bonding strength lowers than the strength loss due to the decreasing of the fiber dispersion degree, the ultimate tensile strength and the flexural strength of UHS-UHDCC decrease.

Polyester Textiles as a Source of Microplastics from Households: A Mechanistic Study to Understand Microfiber Release During Washing.

Microplastic fibers make up a large proportion of microplastics found in the environment, especially in urban areas. There is good reason to consider synthetic textiles a major source of microplastic fibers, and it will not diminish since the use of synthetic fabrics, especially polyester, continues to increase. In this study we provide quantitative data regarding the size and mass of microplastic fibers released from synthetic (polyester) textiles during simulated home washing under controlled laboratory conditions. Consideration of fabric structure and washing conditions (use of detergents, temperature, wash duration, and sequential washings) allowed us to study the propensity of fiber shedding in a mechanistic way. Thousands of individual fibers were measured (number, length) from each wash solution to provide a robust data set on which to draw conclusions. Among all the variables tested, the use of detergent appeared to affect the total mass of fibers released the most, yet the detergent composition (liquid or powder) or overdosing of detergent did not significantly influence microplastic release. Despite different release quantities due to the addition of a surfactant (approximately 0.025 and 0.1 mg fibers/g textile washed, without and with detergent, respectively), the overall microplastic fiber length profile remained similar regardless of wash condition or fabric structure, with the vast majority of fibers ranging between 100 and 800 μm in length irrespective of wash cycle number. This indicates that the fiber staple length and/or debris encapsulated inside the fabric from the yarn spinning could be directly responsible for releasing stray fibers. This study serves as a first look toward understanding the physical properties of the textile itself to better understand the mechanisms of fiber shedding in the context of microplastic fiber release into laundry wash water.

Paper points revisited: risk of cellulose fibre shedding during canal length confirmation.

All brands of endodontic paper points shed fibres, and these fibres may be associated with foreign body giant cell reactions.

Paper points revisited: risk of cellulose fibre shedding during canal length confirmation.

To compare the degree of fibre shedding by six brands of endodontic paper point when used for the paper point technique (PPT) of working length confirmation. An invitro model simulating the clinical use of paper points in PPT was used to assess the degree of fibre shedding of six brands of size 20, .02 taper paper point. Whilst observing the artificial terminal foramen with polarized light microscopy, the number of fibres shed directly (point inserted 1mm beyond the terminal foramen) and indirectly (point inserted to length then a gutta-percha point inserted) was assessed. The degree of direct fibre shedding as a function of brand was analysed with Fisher's exact test and multiple pairwise comparisons. Indirect fibre shedding was analysed with Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. All brands shed fibres both directly and indirectly, with a significant influence of brand on the proportion of fibres shed directly (P<0.0306) and on the mean number of fibres shed indirectly (P<0.0001). Post hoc analysis demonstrated a similar hierarchy of point integrity for both tests with Classic (UnoDent, Witham, UK) shedding significantly more than other brands and SS White (Gloucester, UK) and Antaeos® (VDW, Munich, Germany) shedding the least. All brands of paper point may shed cellulose fibres both directly and indirectly with a significant influence of brand on the degree of fibre shedding. Further work should be undertaken to develop biocompatible absorbent dental points.

In Vitro Evaluation and Mechanism Analysis of the Fiber Shedding Property of Textile Pile Debridement Materials

Fiber shedding is a critical problem in biomedical textile debridement materials, which leads to infection and impairs wound healing. In this work, single fiber pull-out test was proposed as an in vitro evaluation for the fiber shedding property of a textile pile debridement material. Samples with different structural design (pile densities, numbers of ground yarns and coating times) were prepared and estimated under this testing method. Results show that single fiber pull-out test offers an appropriate in vitro evaluation for the fiber shedding property of textile pile debridement materials. Pull-out force for samples without back-coating exhibited a slight escalating trend with the supplement in pile density and number of ground yarn plies, while back-coating process significantly raised the single fiber pull-out force. For fiber shedding mechanism analysis, typical pull-out behavior and failure modes of the single fiber pull-out test were analyzed in detail. Three failure modes were found in this study, i.e., fiber slippage, coating point rupture and fiber breakage. In summary, to obtain samples with desirable fiber shedding property, fabric structural design, preparation process and raw materials selection should be taken into full consideration.

Comparison of nonwoven glass and stainless steel microfiber media in aerosol coalescence filtration

Abstract Coalescing filters are used to remove fine drops from aerosols and emulsions. Fibrous nonwoven filter media are commonly used to coalesce small drops into larger drops for easier removal. The coalescing performance of a medium is dependent upon several parameters including permeability, porosity, and wettability. In many coalescing filters, glass fibers are used. In this work, we measure the properties of steel fiber media to see how these properties compare to glass fibers in coalescence performance. Steel fiber media have several differences in material properties from glass fiber media that may prove advantageous in performance and filter design. Steel fiber media are more ductile than glass fibers making them more suitable for vibrating environments and easier to machine with reduction of fiber shedding. The steel fiber media are elastic and can be compressed to change media properties such as permeability and porosity. The steel fibers have different wetting properties than glass and may give better coalescing performance for some liquids and they can be applied at higher operating temperatures than glass fibers. Nonwoven stainless steel and glass fiber media with fiber diameters of 2 and 6 μm were used. Permeabilities were measured using a Frazier Permeability Tester, porosities were measured using a custom made pycnometer, and wetting properties were measured with a modified Washburn test. The media performances were evaluated in a coalescence test apparatus. The overall performances of the steel fiber and glass fiber media are compared using a filtration index. 2 μm glass and 6 μm stainless steel fiber media had separation efficiencies of about 85%. Due to the higher permeability of 6 μm stainless steel media, its filtration index was significantly higher.