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Bio-based fibres could pose greater threat to the environment than conventional plastics
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/bio-based-fibres-could-pose-greater-threat-to-the-environment-than-conventional-plasticsBio-based fibres could pose greater threat to the environment than conventional plastics
Scientists have suggested that materials being advocated as alternatives to plastic should be tested thoroughly before they are used in products
Mr Alan Williams
Media and Communications Manager
5 November 2024
Bio-based materials may pose a greater health risk to some of the planet’s most important species than the conventional plastics they are designed to replace, a new study has shown.
…
To address that, a new study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology tested the effects of conventional polyester fibres and two bio-based fibres –viscose and lyocell – on earthworms, a species critical to the health of soils globally.
The study found that in high concentrations of fibres, 30% of earthworms died after 72 hours when exposed to polyester, while those exposed to the bio-based fibres experienced much higher mortality of up to 60% in the case of lyocell and 80% for viscose.
A second experiment, using environmentally relevant concentrations of the fibres, indicated that earthworms housed in soils containing viscose fibres exhibited reduced reproduction compared to those exposed to polyester fibres. Earthworms in the soils containing lyocell fibres showed reduced growth and also higher rates of burrowing within the soil compared to exposure to the other types of fibre.
…
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c05856Scientists have suggested that materials being advocated as alternatives to plastic should be tested thoroughly before they are used in products
Mr Alan Williams
Media and Communications Manager
5 November 2024
Bio-based materials may pose a greater health risk to some of the planet’s most important species than the conventional plastics they are designed to replace, a new study has shown.
…
To address that, a new study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology tested the effects of conventional polyester fibres and two bio-based fibres –viscose and lyocell – on earthworms, a species critical to the health of soils globally.
The study found that in high concentrations of fibres, 30% of earthworms died after 72 hours when exposed to polyester, while those exposed to the bio-based fibres experienced much higher mortality of up to 60% in the case of lyocell and 80% for viscose.
A second experiment, using environmentally relevant concentrations of the fibres, indicated that earthworms housed in soils containing viscose fibres exhibited reduced reproduction compared to those exposed to polyester fibres. Earthworms in the soils containing lyocell fibres showed reduced growth and also higher rates of burrowing within the soil compared to exposure to the other types of fibre.
…