Table 4.
UK per annum microfibre release estimates for different washing scenarios based on the polyester fleece test fabric
| Temperature (°C) | Duration (mins) | Liquor ratio (l/m2) | No. ball bearings | Mean microfibre release for test specimen (mg/kg) | Estimated microfibre release for 5 kg wash load (g) | Estimated UK annual microfibre release (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 15:1 | 50 | 453.35 | 2.27 | 16,384 |
| 90 | 60 | 15:1 | 50 | 334.03 | 1.67 | 12,072 |
| 40 | 30 | 15:1 | 50 | 493.84 | 2.47 | 17,847 |
| 40 | 60 | 7.5:1 | 50 | 205.53 | 1.03 | 7428 |
| 40 | 60 | 15:1 | 10 | 202.64 | 1.01 | 7323 |
| 40 | 60 | 15:1 | 20 | 189.81 | 0.95 | 6860 |
| 40 | 60 | 15:1 | 40 | 260.21 | 1.30 | 9404 |