Fabrics and micro plastics

[lestersails]

Not sure if I am putting this in the right category - but it seemed the closest*.

I have long been a fan of plastic microfiber clothing for boating. They are nowadays woven to breathe pretty well, they don't much stain, wash easily, and dry much faster than cotton. The drying thing is my biggest issue - cotton seems to take forever and I'll be darned if one doesn't blow off of the lifelines because they are out there so long. The microfiber stuff seems to dry in 1/5 the time.

But is becoming clearer that every time we wash these fabrics, some of the fibers come free and go into the water. In my case, I typically hand wash small bits of clothing right on the stern of the boat, so I am directly rinsing this into our ocean.

So, here is the question - are there any natural fiber fabrics that have the quick-drying attributes of microfiber?





*Mods - feel free to move this if I missed a better category!

[JPA Cate]

Bamboo? Hemp?

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Bamboo? Hemp?

Good thought - I wondered about those. Do they dry more like the microfibers or like cotton? I also wondered about Rayon, which I understand to be biodegradable (though it is nasty to manufacture).

[GordMay]

One important feature of bamboo is its absorbency.

Bamboo fabrics are very absorbent. This is a fabulous characteristic of bamboo towels, and moisture-wicking bamboo socks.
But when it comes time for drying, the super absorbent bamboo items will take longer.
When bamboo comes out of the washer [by whatever method], fully wet, it can be pretty heavy. So when it hangs up, it will sag pretty low, and sometimes there’s a risk of things stretching a garment out of shape.

Bamboo is usually sold as an eco-friendly textile, which is partially true, as the bamboo plant is potentially one of the world's most sustainable resources. It grows very quickly and easily, it doesn’t need pesticide or fertilizers, and it doesn’t need to be replanted after harvest, because it grows new sprouts from the roots.
However, to turn bamboo into fiber, bamboo is processed with strong chemical solvents, that are potentially harmful to the health of manufacturing workers, the consumers wearing the garment, and for the environment, when chemicals are released in wastewater.

Bamboo fabric is a type of rayon often called "bamboo rayon".

[marcjsmith]

Wool.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Silk is really good and you shouldn't dismiss linen and cotton too easily. Just don't get your usual shirts at Walmart, look at the stuff used in India for saris. If the cloth is light enough, it dries quickly. My girlfriend loved the wear this stuff on board.

[leandroflaherty]

Merino wool. Amazing fabric for marine use.

[Hardhead]

I'd love to find a solution to this issue too. Microplastics' pervasive contamination of the environment is major issue, IMHO. Of course, every generation chooses to wear blinders, and kick the can down the road.

Naturally - Big Oil loves new plastics manufacturing, so we're doomed. Simple as that really...

[bcboomer]

Originally Posted by leandroflaherty

Merino wool. Amazing fabric for marine use.

+1

[dkroar]

There's a product, a ball, that goes into your washing machine, and it absorbs the stray fibers so that they don't go out with the waste water. I can't remember the name off of the top of my head, I'll have to google it.

[alansmith]

Do not wear bamboo clothing when visiting Panda bears. Smile.

[kapnd]

Don’t wear clothes—End of problem!

[GordMay]

Why Patagonia helped Samsung redesign the washing machine

Samsung is releasing a “Less Microfiber” wash cycle, and a new filter, which, in combination, will dramatically shrink microfiber pollution, by as much as 98%.

The new “Less Microfiber” cycle, which anyone with a Samsung washer can download [Free?], as an update for their machine, can reduce microfiber pollution by as much as 54%.

To tackle the remainder, the company designed a filter, that can be added to existing washers at the drain pipe, with pores tiny enough to capture fibers. [± $150 in the U.S. ?]

More ➥ https://www.fastcompany.com/90904159...=pocket-newtab

[GordMay]

The plastic that biodegrades in your home compost

By embedding a plastic with an engineered enzyme, researchers* have developed a fully biodegradable material, that can be broken down, in a home compost heap. Plastic production often requires high temperatures, so, the team adapted an enzyme, to make it more able to withstand heat, while still able to break down a common plastic, called PLA. They hope this enzyme-embedded plastic could replace current single-use items, helping to reduce the huge amount of waste produced each year.

‘Nature’ Podcast: Story begins at 11:24 [28:21] ➥ https://youtu.be/F0gO6Xdo0FU

* “An engineered enzyme embedded into PLA to make self-biodegradable plastic” ~ by M. Guicherd, et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07709-1

[GordMay]

“Ending plastic pollution: an opportunity for health” ~ The Lancet EDITORIAL - May 18, 2024
➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...018-3/fulltext

Responses, to ‘The Lancet’, October 05, 2024:

“Ending plastic pollution from cradle to grave” ~ by Adam M Finkel
➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...505-8/fulltext

“Towards a sustainable future: mitigating the plastic paradox” ~ by Saravanan Sekaran & Dhanraj Ganapathy
➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...506-X/fulltext