Investigation of microplastic pollution in textile industry wastewaters

Microplastic pollution has become one of the most important environmental issues in terms of sustainability today. This thesis systematically investigates the dispersion of microplastics (MP) caused by the textile industry. It evaluates the concentration, shape, size, colour and polymer type of MP pollution originating from the textile industry, with the aim of revealing the environmental impacts of production processes. Total MP density and morphological characteristics were analyzed from wastewater samples collected over six months (June, July, August, September, October, and November) from three different textile factories: Factory 1 (F1), Factory 2 (F2), and Factory 3 (F3). The most common microplastic form in all factories was fiber, with the highest value recorded at F3 at 2205 MP/L (September). The film form was present consistently in both F1 and F3, however, at low concentrations. In terms of size distribution, microplastics measuring 100 µm were detected at the highest levels in all three factories, reaching 708 MP/L in F3. In terms of color, black-brown microplastics were dominant in all factories, reaching the highest level at 1315 MP/L in F3. The presence of blue microplastics was observed at a concentration of 738 MP/L in sample F3, while white-transparent microplastics were detected at a concentration of 405 MP/L, also in sample F3. In terms of polymer types, Cel-PEI (Cellulose Modified with Polyethylenimine) was found to be the most common polymer. The results show that the production process and the types of textiles used are key factors affecting microplastic emissions. Furthermore, it was found that existing treatment systems are ineffective at retaining microplastics.