Advanced Microplastic Fiber-Capturing Woven Filters for Domestic Laundry Machines

Microplastic pollution represents a growing threat to global ecosystems and human health. Among its sources, synthetic textile fibers released during domestic laundering stand out as a significant contributor. These fibers, commonly referred to as microplastic fibers, originate from materials such as polyester and polyamide and are discharged into wastewater during washing cycles. As these pollutants evade standard treatment systems, they enter aquatic environments, where they persist and accumulate, disrupting ecosystems and posing long-term risks to marine biodiversity and the food chain. This study addresses this issue by focusing on the development of filtration systems integrated into domestic washing machines to capture microplastic fibers directly at their source. In this context, four filtering fabrics with varying weave designs (plain, twill) and densities (33 × 33, 33 × 17) were fabricated. Besides thickness and basis weight measurements, both air permeability and filtration efficiency of the samples were measured. The results demonstrated that structural parameters such as weave design and density play a significant role in determining microplastic fiber capture efficiency. The vacuum filtration results provided critical insights into the impact of textile structures on filtration performance. Among the tested samples, plain weave fabric with a weft density of 33 picks/cm (33-P) exhibited the highest filtration efficiency (96.60%), while twill weave fabric with a weft density of 17 picks/cm (17-T) had the lowest (89.60%). Air permeability measurements revealed an inverse correlation, with 17-T displaying the highest permeability (1554.97 l/m²s) and 33-P the lowest (188.58 l/m²s). Experimental outcomes exhibit that denser fabric structures enhance filtration efficiency by limiting fluid and particle flow. These findings underscore the potential for integrated filtration systems to significantly mitigate the environmental impact of domestic laundering and the outcomes offer a scalable and sustainable solution for reducing microplastic fiber pollution, paving the way for more environmentally responsible household technologies.