Microfiber pollution has been the source of great concern over the years due to its potential to disturb marine life. Microfibers have been found in Antarctica, and even seafood which humans consume, and thus, these contaminants become a source of various diseases. One way of dealing with microfiber pollution is to prevent these from being released into the atmosphere, which is next to impossible as even a single wash could release more than five thousand microfibers. On the other hand, what if these could be used to produce energy! Researchers are trying to convert the microfiber lint into energy at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and the Lithuanian Energy Institute.
The team has constructed a pilot pyrolysis plant and developed a mathematical model to calculate the possible economic and environmental outcomes. During the machine-washing of a garment, around 300mg of microfibres are generated from 1kg of textile. It is estimated that by converting lint microfibres produced by a million people, almost 14 tons of oil, 21.5 tons of gas, and nearly 10 tons of char could be produced. These would be worth around €100,000 on the open market, and their recycling would achieve a carbon footprint reduction of 42,039,000kg CO2-eq/t.
Using a pilot pyrolysis plant, the scientists extracted three energy products – oil, gas, and char – from the collected lint microfibre batches. When treated thermally, the lint microfibres decompose into energy products with around a 70% conversion rate. The groundbreaking technology could be beneficial for the environment.
