Mar 27, 20236 min
Updated: Jul 24, 2023
There are a lot of links and videos in this article that needs to be read or watched that add to this article.
It started with this guy and we have been dealing with it ever since. In 1951, while attempting to convert propylene into gasoline, J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks of Phillips Petroleum Company discovered polypropylene, a high-melting crystalline aliphatic hydrocarbon.
We have been dealing with this mess ever since then and many cannot come up with a solution. I will try to give some pointers and some more information on these types of fabrics. The first two I list are the most natural types from plants and animals the last are the ones that are made from another source.
Someone asked me how are you supposed to wash these Artificial plastic items I shared a video of Fleece made from plastics.
Polyester, Microfiber
These are made with Polyester and oil-based substances called polyester, Artificial, and microplastics. They include Rayon. Fleece, is the same. Artificial or synthetic fibers means made from plastic. Rayon, Orlon, Nylon, Polyester, Acrylic, etc. Yes, fleeces are made from plastic nowadays. A lot of people wear them, myself included.
Rayon:
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber derived from wood pulp. Rayon is typically made of wood from eucalyptus, spruce, and pine trees, but can also be made from cotton or bamboo.
Polyester including Fleece made from that and the plastic it is made from:
The chemical name for the polymer, which forms polyester, is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. If PET is not extruded into fibers, it can be formed into the plastic commonly used for soda bottles. Interest in recycling plastics in the 1980s led to the development of polyester fiber made from used soda bottles. Many polyester fleece garments on the market today are made from a combination of recycled and virgin polyester. What Is Polyester Fleece
Polyester is a popular fabric that can be found in almost any home. It is commonly used in everyday work attire, school or sports uniforms, or even blankets and bedding. One of the greatest benefits of polyester is that it can easily be washed at home in just a few simple steps. Read on for more tips on caring for your polyester items.
This article on Yahoo states that the debris has increased threefold.
"So how can they tell what those particles are and look like? According to Forbes, it is very hard to see them. Thanks to major advances in science and technology we can now genetically engineer genes with increasing precision, isolate specific proteins from cells, and accurately sequence entire genomes. So why have we been unable to develop a robust way to detect microplastics?
Unlike DNA and proteins, plastics are not alive. Here’s why that’s essential to understanding the plastic detection problem.
While scientists take advantage of the sequences within DNA or the affinity of antibodies for specific proteins, these techniques do not work on microplastics since they are just made of chemicals - without any proteins, DNA sequences, or otherwise life-related structures for scientists to use for detection."
Where do microfibers in the ocean come from?
Wastewater treatment plants filter out the majority of microfibers, but because they are so small, some microfibers pass through the wastewater treatment systems, entering our waterways and oceans.
What You Should Know About Microfiber Pollution - EPA
What You Should Know About Microfiber Pollution - EPA
How much is in our oceans?
Using careful microscope images, the CSIRO team counted the number of microplastic particles in different samples and estimated based on the counts from this region that 14 million tons of microplastic exist on the whole ocean floor.
The recycling process for polypropylene includes five different steps:
Polypropylene plastics are collected.
The polypropylene material must be separated from other types of plastic polymers. This is regularly achieved through a “sink float separation technique where polypropylene is separated based on its ability to float when other polymers will sink. Other methods of separation can also be used.
The chunks of polypropylene or flakes are then washed with specialized detergents to completely remove contaminants. After being cleaned, the polypropylene chunks or flakes are dried with moderate heat.
In the reprocessing and melting phase, all collected polypropylene products are fed into an extruder. Because of the extremely high melting point of polypropylene, temperatures have to exceed 400 °F to melt the material. Thermal degradation works to compromise the structural intensity of the plastic bonds by weakening the hydrogen and carbon. Once it’s melted, it's cut into granules.
The pellets are then ready to be used in the production of new products.
How To Wash Polyester and Poly/Bends
I suggest another way to get this done and that is Hand-washing in cold water and line drying as it seems that the agitation of any washing machine will tear these apart and the result is
lots end up in the oceans. Ever heard of the Ring Of Fire? The picture is here next to my paragraph.
There are other things about this type of fabric that you must realize too.
As much as you think the ocean is not a still place. With that being said the particle do not stay in the same place all the time. they will move as the oceans ebb and flow.
Ever heard of the Ring Of Fire? Here is a picture o where it is see what is involved with it and where it is and the volcanoes and earthquakes are.
3. Earthquakes and the mass movements of the ocean floor will turn this stuff under the ocean floor and it will degrade there and end up back in the ocean as a non-caustic substance like it was before it was processed. Takes a long time for this all to happen but isn't that how nature works?
What Is Being Done About It
A new, filter-free method of separating microplastics from seawater has been developed in Indonesia. Researchers in Indonesia have developed an innovative way to remove microplastics from water without the need for expensive filters. Jan 7, 2022
Sonic cleanup: using sound to capture ocean microplastics
How can microplastics be eliminated?
Ensuring you have quality filters that catch microplastics. Air-drying your clothing. Using less water with every load. Avoiding the delicate wash setting, which uses more water than the normal cycle. Sep 26, 2022
9 Ways To Reduce Your Microplastic Pollution & Consumption
How is plastic being removed from the ocean?
Collecting plastic from the oceans
Ocean Cleanup's system consists of a large floating net-like barrier three meters deep that forms a large U shape which is slowly towed by two ships. The natural flow caused by the movement directs plastic to the central retention zone. Oct 13, 2022
How Do We Clean Up All That Ocean Plastic? - State of the Planet
There are several steps you can take to prevent plastic pollution, but some depend on recycling facilities in your area. Here are a few tips:
Organize beach, river bank, or land cleanups
Reduce your use of disposable plastics (including microbeads in cosmetics)
Make sure you dispose of trash properly
Wash your synthetic clothing as little as possible
Reuse and recycle whenever possible
Support us financially with a donation or apply to The Ocean Cleanup to help us develop our system
Lobby to your (local) government
Types of Fabric All natural Cotton:
Cotton comes from plants and is spun from the whites of the flower.
Cotton fibers are made of carbohydrates
100 cotton fabric is made of 100% natural cotton. It is the perfect combination of natural fiber and non-woven technology. Without any chemical additives in the production process, it has skin-friendly and soft unmatched by other fabrics.
Linen is made from Flax and it is a natural fiber that grows in fields and is processed into linen.
Another Natural Fiber! Sheep and Alpaca
SILK All Natural from worms/insects.
Silk is considered an animal fiber produced by certain insects and arachnids as a building material for cocoons and webs, some of which can be used to make fine fabrics.
Beautiful Spider Silk made with true spider web threads.
Yet another Natural Fabric from Dog Fur
There are more natural fibers than Artificial ones as you can see but I am adding the artificial stuff right on this page and how to care for them and even how to rid them from your home and the waters and oceans.