Category: Research

Investigation into microfibres within a commercial laundrette

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

By Jacqui Warner, Environmental Management MSc student

Below Jacqui shares her dissertation proposal to investigate microfibres with a laundrette:

Most people never consider the fabric of their clothes, the composition of the fibres (Liu et al., 2021), their environmental fate or whether they may unintentionally ingest or inhale fragments of their garments.  In 2011, Browne et al., linked microplastics being washed onto riverbanks to microfibres released during clothes laundering, and for the first time, identifying the role of washing machine effluent arriving at wastewater treatment plants.  Since then, a plethora of research has investigated microplastics pollution of waterbodies, but more recently there has been an interest in atmospheric circulation of microplastics, perhaps fuelled by a greater understanding of their sources, including our clothes.

Microplastics are defined as being between 1 micrometre (µm) and 5mm and despite being inert, can carry a variety of pollutants, toxic substances and pathogens, adhered to their surface and do not meaningfully degrade in water (Kärkkäinen and Sillanpää, 2020) (Zambrano et al., 2019).

Whilst research continues into understanding and reducing microfibre emissions from clothes washing, this project aims to consider microfibre shedding resulting from mechanical drying.   Although indoor microfibre pollution is somewhat overlooked, 70-90% of our time is spent indoors (Prata, 2018), making indoor microfibre exposure research highly relevant.   

In 2018, around half of UK households owned a tumble dryer, with ownership rising to 70% for a family of two adults and two children (Statista, 2018).    A small number of studies have started to look at the emissions associated with domestic tumble dryers, with a  2022 study finding a mixed-textile load of clothes produced between 433,128–561,810 microfibers (Tao et al., 2022).  However, there are numerous factors that impact these sorts of results; age and type of dryer, the size of the loads, the types of textiles used for drying, and the length of a cycle. Importantly, most of these studies collected microfibres from a lint filter, rather than those escaping to the indoor atmosphere.

There is also an apparent lack of previous microfibre studies within laundrettes and dry cleaners.  This seems a logical place to detect and measure airborne microfibre deposition – a setting where dryers ran potentially all day, several days a week, every month of the year.  Laundrettes offer a ‘real-life’ scenario – different mixtures of textiles and treatments, with washing and drying, folding, ironing and even dry cleaning, all within the same space.  It provides an excellent opportunity to measure every-day emissions from these businesses.  The results could help understand differing sources of microfibres, with both relevance for the home and from industry and may have implications for occupational health.

Two businesses have already agreed to work on the project, with pilot studies currently under way.  Both offer laundry and dry-cleaning services together, in quite different settings; one of these is a franchise which operates within a large household supermarket and the other a standalone shop in a busy precinct.  Petri dishes have been placed in key locations within their premises.  Once collected, the first step will be to analyse any fibres, counting individual fibres and then determining their size, mass and type which is expected to be a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres.  It will be interesting to determine which fraction is inhalable.  Some adjustments to the methodology are expected, but it is hoped that the main study will be concluded by the end of the year. 

References

Browne, M. A., Crump, P., Niven, S. J., Teuten, E., Tonkin, A., Galloway, T., & Thompson, R. (2011) Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Worldwide: Sources and Sinks. Environmental Science & Technology [online].  45 (21), pp. 9175–9179 [Accessed 3 April 2024].

Kärkkäinen N, Sillanpää M. (2020) Quantification of different microplastic fibres discharged from textiles in machine wash and tumble drying. Environ Science Pollution Research International [online]. 28 (13) pp., 16253-16263. [Accessed 6 February 2024].

Liu, J., Liang, J., Ding, J., Zhang, G., Zeng, X., Yang, Q. (2021) Microfiber pollution: an ongoing major environmental issue related to the sustainable development of textile and clothing industry. Environment, Development and Sustainability [online]. 23, pp. 11240–11256. [Accessed 4 March 2024].

Prata, J.C. (2018) Airborne microplastics: Consequences to human health? Environmental pollution [Online] 234, pp. 115–126 . [Accessed 24 February 2024].

Statista (2018) Distribution of tumble dryers in the UK by household composition.  Available from https://www.statista.com/statistics/289321/distribution-of-tumble-dryers-in-the-uk-by-household-composition/ [Accessed 30 May 2024]

Tao, D., Zhang, K., Xu, S., Lin, H., Liu, Y., Kang, J., Yim, T., Giesy, J.P., & Leung, K. M. Y. (2022). Microfibers Released into the Air from a Household Tumble Dryer. Environmental Science & Technology Letters [online]. 9 (2), pp. 120–126. [Accessed 12 March 2024].

Zambrano, M.C., Pawlak, J.J., Daystar, J., Ankeny, M., Goller, C.C., & Venditti, R. A. (2020). Aerobic biodegradation in freshwater and marine environments of textile microfibers generated in clothes laundering: Effects of cellulose and polyester-based microfibers on the microbiome. Marine Pollution Bulletin [online]. 151,pp.  110826–110826. [Accessed 10 April 2024].

Meet the team: Sayda Mehrabin Shejuti

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

In this blog post, we meet Sayda Mehrabin Shejuti, our newest PhD student to join the Biospheric Microplastics team.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I studied soil, water and environment both at my bachelor and master’s level at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Following the completion of my research-based MSc, I actively involved myself in action based research projects focusing on plastic and microplastic pollution, building zero waste community and chemical burden on our environment. This involvement took place within a non-governmental organisation context. Then I pursued another MSc on environmental management from the University of the West of England with a research on systematic analysis of the most precise analytical method for detecting microplastic from air sample. In the UK, I worked for Environmental Investigation Agency as a Consultant where I supported the development of microplastics outreach strategy in the EU. I also engaged myself in analysing global plastic policies as a part of the research team of Revolution Plastics, University of Portsmouth.

What inspired you to focus on your area?

Having been born and raised in a country like Bangladesh–where environmental pollution is a rampant and urgent nuisance–I chose to combat chemical pollution and gradually, I became more involved in projects pertaining to plastics and microplastics. Although Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bag, it is still struggling to manage the burden of plastic waste that is accumulating by the second. ‘Microplastic’ was a completely new terminology in Bangladesh during 2016-2017, when I first took part in a research on microplastic in toiletries and fish. The research shocked everyone leaving with an urgency for continuation of more rigorous research within this field. Ultimately this led me to choose my dissertation topic as well as my postgraduate research landscape.

Can you tell us what you’re currently working on?

Although microplastics’ presence is identified in different environmental matrices, the possible health impacts of this tiny plastic particles are yet to be rigorously explored. Hence, I chose to conduct my PhD research on the identification and characterisation of microplastics in our daily food including investigating microplastics footprint from farmland to our plates. Accurate estimation of microplastics in frequently and highly consumed food products can shed the light on the future research of the impact of microplastics in human health.

What are your future plans?

I believe that my PhD project has the potential to open up new arena of exploration in this field, serving as the foundation of my future research career. While my aspiration is to pursue an academic path, I am open to exploring alternative possibilities as well.

Measuring Human DNA in the air: Exploring the Theory, Ethics and Practicalities

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Last year two UWE Bristol academics gave a webinar around the idea of using human genetic material found in the air for specific purposes such as criminal investigation.

Dr Ben Williams, Senior Research Fellow: Air Quality Management Resource Centre, and Dr Francesco Tava, Associate Professor of Philosophy, discussed whether it is possible from a technological perspective as well as should we from an ethical perspective.

Ben provided insights into current technology and its accuracy and safety for collecting such data. Francesco raised the ethical considerations arising from using airborne DNA for specific purposes.

In the webinar, they discuss the practical challenges of collecting and analysing airborne DNA data, including the issue of contamination from various sources, as an exploratory conversation. They also explore the legal implications and limitations of using this approach, as well as the ethical concerns of privacy and consent. The ethical concerns related to the collection and use of airborne DNA include the potential misuse of data, discrimination, and the implications for human rights.

Ben and Francesco also discuss the potential benefits of using airborne DNA for specific purposes, such as criminal investigation, disease detection, and environmental monitoring. They highlight the need for transparency and accountability in the collection and use of airborne DNA data.

The webinar provides an overview of the technical, practical, and ethical potentialities and challenges of using airborne DNA for specific purposes. While there are potential benefits to using this approach, the ethical concerns related to privacy, consent, and potential misuse of data must be addressed. Ben and Francesco emphasize the importance of transparency and accountability in the collection and use of airborne DNA data to ensure that the approach is used for the greater good and in a manner that respects human rights.

Listen to the full webinar.

Biospheric Microplastics Project Update

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Image: A post it note exercise from the sandpit event

Hello from the Biospheric Microplastics research team,

We’ve had a busy few months:

We held our first sandpit event on the 1st Sept which saw over 30 staff from across UWE Bristol come together to discuss microplastics. The sandpit was attended by academic, technical and professional services staff.

The event included lighting talks from Dr Adam Thomas, Paul Bowdler, Professor Tim Cox and Dr Budi Chandra. During the event we generated research ideas and identified research teams with the expertise to drive future funding proposals.

Our Research Fellow, Freya has been conducting some exciting method development work in the lab on the FT-IR, Raman and pyrolysis GC-MS. Her method of development centres around creating a process to quickly and efficiently identify microplastics using pyrolysis GC-MS, which can then be applied to a network of air quality samples around the country to determine microplastics contamination in the air.

Plastic debris collected from a strand line

This month we also started our ‘Reading for STEM’ project which is funded by the VC’s Challenge Fund. The team is an interdisciplinary team including Dr Fay Lewis, Dr Jane Carter, Dr Stephanie Sargeant, Dr Debbie Lewis, and Dr Juliet Edmonds.

The idea of the project is to make science literacy in primary schools more accessible and to encourage more young children into science – removing the mad hatter syndrome. The project plans to:

  • Bring together expertise from across UWE Bristol; Education, English & Science
  • Turn STEM into STEAM- science based literary materials
  • Include biography, poetry, play, letter, narrative and comic when talking about STEM
  • Take current UWE Bristol research & Talent and embed our novel plastic pollution research into literary forms

Research cluster update March 2022

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

By Dr Ben Williams

Welcome back to another update of everything we have been up to for our Biospheric Microplastics Research Cluster over the past month:

  • We have recruited our Biospheric Microplastics Research Fellow. The new fellow will start in early May and will be crucial to helping us develop the research in our cluster further
  • We’ve recently submitted an EOI for a project focusing on the detection and characterisation of the impact of airborne Microplastics on human health
  • My MSc project students are finalising their dissertation topic proposals this month, with two looking at microplastics in the Frome river, one looking at microplastic deposition as people eat food on campus and two others looking at regional recycling regimes
  • Two current students are submitting their dissertations this month on microplastics. 1 MSc student (Sayda Shejuti) has systematically reviewed analytical approaches across the microplastics landscape, and an undergraduate student (Thilini Seneviratne) is finishing up her study on microplastic contamination along a Sri Lankan beachfront, onto which a ship spilled plastic nurdles and other microplastics.

We look forward to sharing more with you as our research develops.

Biospheric Microplastics project update

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

As you will know from reading our first blog, we recently launched the Biospheric Microplastics Research Cluster. Over the past few weeks we have been busily working away on our cluster and we thought we’d share with you some updates:

Recruitment

We’re currently mid-way through recruitment of a Research Fellow in Biospheric Microplastics. The successful candidate will work across the institution and play an integral role in the cluster, supporting us to achieve our aims to address critical gaps in the microplastics research landscape. This is a really exciting step for us as a cluster.

Student research

We currently have 5 undergraduate and 12 postgraduate research projects investigating a range of microplastic research questions. It’s been great to get our students involved with our research and see them be as passionate as we are about microplastics. We’ve included some pictures below of one of our students conducting research in the field.

Opportunities to join the cluster

We have several opportunities to join our research cluster on our MRes Applied Sciences programme, titles and programme link below. Please contact Dr Stephanie Sargeant for more information. All titles are part of the UWE Bristol Biospheric Microplastics Research Cluster (UWE BMRC):

  • Modelling airborne microplastic dispersion
  • Investigating the plastisphere: microbial communities on plastic debris
  • Developing standardised methods for airborne microplastic sampling and analysis
  • Quantifying the role of macroalgae in trapping and accumulating microplastics
  • Investigating the human health implications of environmentally sourced airborne  microplastics
  • UWE Bristol MRes Applied Sciences: course details

We look forward to sharing more updates with you soon,

Dr Stephanie Sargent and Dr Ben Williams

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