A team of researchers from the T Faculty of Engineering led by a professor Kevin Golovin (MIE) has designed a solution to reduce the amount of microplastic fibers that shed when clothes made with synthetic fibers are washed.
In a world overwhelmed by fast fashion, it is an industry that mass-produces cheap clothes. huge cost to the environment — 2 or more-One-third of our clothing is made of synthetic fabrics.
Machine washing garments made from synthetic fabrics such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, and rayon will cause small tears in the fabric due to friction from the wash cycle. These cracks break microplastic fibers less than 500 micrometers in length and flow down laundry drains and into waterways.
Once microplastics find their way into oceans, freshwater lakes and rivers, the particles are difficult to remove and take decades or more to fully degrade. As this debris accumulates in bodies of water, threatens marine life. It can also become part of the human food chain through its existence food and tap waterthe effects on human health are not yet clear.
Governments around the world have sought ways to minimize the pollution caused by washing synthetic fabrics. One example is washing machine filters. This has emerged as a major measure to prevent microplastic fibers from entering waterways. In Ontario, members of Congress introduced a bill. New washing machine needs a filter in the state.
“Still, when you look at what governments around the world are doing, there’s nothing. It tends to prevent the formation of microplastic fibers in the first place,” says Golovin.
“Our research is moving in the other direction of actually solving problems rather than patching them up.”
Golovin and his team created a two-layer coating made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brushes. A PDMS brush is a linear single polymer chain that grows from a substrate to form a nanoscale surface layer.
Experiments conducted by the team showed that this coating could significantly reduce the shedding of microfibers on nylon clothing after repeated washings. We share our findings natural sustainability.
“My lab has been working with this coating on other surfaces, such as glass and metal, for several years,” says Golovin. “One of the properties we observed is that it is very slippery and has very low friction.”
PDMS is a silicon-based organic polymer found in many household products. When included in shampoo, hair becomes shiny and slippery. It is also used as a food additive in oils to prevent liquids from foaming during bottling.
Doctor Sudip Kumar Borni (MIE), a postdoctoral researcher in Golovin’s lab and lead author of the study, said that if PDMS-based fabric finishes could reduce the friction that occurs during the wash cycle, it would prevent the fibers from rubbing against each other and breaking. I had an idea that it could be done. off during washing.
One of the biggest challenges researchers faced during their studies was getting the PDMS brushes to stay on the fabric. Textiles by trade His engineer, Lahiri, has developed molecular primers based on his understanding of fabric dyes.
Lahiri reasoned that the type of bonding responsible for keeping dyed apparel colorful after repeated washings would also work for PDMS coatings.
Neither primers nor PDMS brushes work individually to reduce shedding of microplastic fibres. But combined they created a powerful finish that he reduced microfiber emissions by more than 90% after 9 washes.
“PDMS brushes are environmentally friendly because they are not petroleum-based like many of the polymers in use today,” says Golovin. who won Connaught New Researcher Award for this work.
“With the addition of Sudip’s primer, the coating is robust enough to remain on the garment and continue to reduce microfiber shedding over time.”
Since PDMS is originally a hydrophobic (water-repellent) material, researchers are now working to make the coating hydrophilic, allowing the coated fabric to better wick sweat. The team has also expanded its research beyond nylon fabrics, including polyester and synthetic fiber blends.
“Lots of textiles It’s made of different types of fibers,” says Golovin. “We are working to formulate the correct polymer structure so that the coating can permanently adhere to all these fibers at the same time.”
Original: This new fabric coating could significantly reduce microplastic pollution from washing clothes
Than: University of Toronto
