SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF MICROPLASTIC FIBERS RELEASED DURING LAUNDRY WASHING CYCLE

Modern life and contemporary materials have brought ubiquitous microplastic particles into our surroundings. Many researchers have focused their research towards investigating sources, pathways, toxic effects and mitigation possibilities of microplastic pollution. One of the most abundant types of microplastics is microplastic fibers, mainly released from synthetic clothes. This study investigates the possibility of identifying microplastic fibers released from textiles during the laundry washing cycle by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Microplastic fibers released from some types of synthetic clothes during the laundry washing cycle at 40°C were collected and analyzed. Thanks to FTIR spectroscopy, it has been proven that a certain amount of microplastics is separated every time synthetics are washed.