Discharge of Micro Plastics by Drum Type Home Laundering of Fleece Cloth

Abstract

  Three kinds of washing nets with different sizes of meshes, along with detergency, were examined for the purpose of reducing the amount of micro plastic discharged during washing with a drum type washing machine without lint filters. In case of a general washing net with a 0.4 ～ 0.5 mm mesh, more than twice as much fiber was discharged in the first washing compared with the subsequent washings, and even with two layers of washing nets, no mitigation effect was observed.

  It was clarified that a washing net with about a 0.03 mm fine mesh was effective in preventing the discharge of fiber dust during washing. In addition, it is considered that the more the washing is repeated, the shorter the length of fiber dust discharged and released into rivers.

  A comparison of detergency showed that there was no significant difference with up to two layers of a normal washing net, but when a washing net with about a 0.03 mm fine mesh was used, detergency significantly decreased.