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The washing process of synthetic fabrics represents the main source of primary microplastics in sea and oceans as large amounts of microfibers are released during washing. Recent researches have been focused on the development of effective approaches to mitigate the effects of microfiber release. Relevant approaches are aimed to design capturing devices and filters. In this work, the development, testing, and demonstration of the effectiveness of a new filtration system for washing machines are reported. This system is designed to retain microfibers avoiding their entrance into the wastewater system. Washing tests were performed using two different prototypes of the proposed filtration system, in order to optimize its design and efficiency. The obtained results demonstrate that, after its optimized, the proposed filtration system shows a capture efficiency of 64% toward microfibers released from commercial polyester t-shirts, comparable or even better than the efficiency shown by other commercial or prototype microfiber capturing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation of atactic poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (a-PHB) binary blends with natural poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV, 12 mol% of 3HV units), has been investigated and compared with plain PHBV in the compost containing activated sludge and under marine exposure conditions in the dynamic water of the Baltic Sea. Characteristic parameters of compost and the Baltic Sea water were monitored during the incubation period (6 weeks) and their influence on the degree of biodegradation is discussed. After specified degradation times of the experiments the weight loss of the samples, surface changes, changes in molecular weight and polydispersity as well as changes of the composition and thermo-mechanical properties of the blends have been evaluated. Macroscopic observations of the samples were accompanied by investigations using optical microscopy, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile testing. The degree of degradation of blends of a-PHB with PHBV depends on the blend composition and environmental conditions. In both environments studied the weight loss of plain PHBV was more significant than changes the molecular weight. In both environments only enzymatic degradation of the blends, which proceeds via surface erosion mechanisms, was observed during the incubation period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]