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Talks and Poster Presentations (with Proceedings-Entry):

M. Kogler, S. Rahbaran, K. C. Schuster, S. Kulka:
"Marine Pollution: Exposing some of the myths and facts";
Talk: 57th Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress - Dornbirn-GFC, Dornbirn; 09-12-2018 - 09-14-2018; in: "Proceedings of the 57th Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress", http://www.dornbirn-gfc.com/en/login/dornbirn-gfc-2018/, (2018), 31 pages.



English abstract:
Marine litter is a globally recognised environmental problem of increasing concern. Marine ecosystems worldwide are affected by man-made debris, much of which is plastic. Plastics are ubiquitous in the marine environment. They come from a multitude of sources and are composed of a great variety of polymers and copolymers (e.g. PE, PP, PVC). Plastics can persist for hundreds to thousands of years in marine environment, even longer in the deep sea and polar region due to their high resistance to natural degradation. In the past few years, an increasing number of studies focus on a very particular type of plastic debris: "microplastics". Microplastics are particles less than 5 mm in size. This kind of debris has been observed within every marine habitat worldwide. Plastics can pose a navigation hazard, smother coral reefs, transport invasive species, injure and kill wildlife and even have the potential to transport chemical contaminants, which in turn then may pose a threat to human health. The major sources of microplastics are land based and it is extremely difficult to identify and point out the ultimate source of microplastics due to their fragmentation and degradation nature. However, one major source has already been identified: the process of washing clothes. During this fiber fragments are released from garments which will eventually find their way into the oceans.
There have been many reports which tried to identify and quantify the different types of synthetic fibers found in the marine environment. Woodall et al.1 stated that clothing made from synthetic fibers such as acrylic, rayon, polyester and nylon are common and therefore potential sources of contamination. In some of these articles rayon is grouped together with other synthetic fibers and it was reported that rayon contributed with 56.9 % to the microplastics problem, which makes it more than twice as abundant as polyester.1,2 However, the methods applied to identify fibers cannot reliably discriminate between natural and wood-based / man-made cellulosic fibers(3).
Due to these misconceptions we want to present a study on the biodegradation of LENZINGTM fibers and pulp in the marine environment. They are produced from the renewable raw material wood, sourced from sustainably managed forests or plantations, feature state-of-the-art, stringently implemented production in line with high quality, environmental and safety standards and they are biodegradable in every environment. LENZINGTM fibers can therefore contribute to the solution to this problem and help reduce microplastics in our oceans.

Keywords:
Marine litter; fibers; viscose; modal; lyocell


Electronic version of the publication:
https://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/publik_277976.pdf


Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.