Abstract：
The abrasion of synthetic textile fibers is a significant factor in the generation of environmental microplastic fibers (MPFs). The extent to which polymer sponges designed specifically for surface cleaning have a tendency to release MPFs during normal use remains unknown. Here, the tribological behaviors of melamine cleaning sponges (also known as \"magic erasers\") with different strut densities against metal surfaces of different roughness were investigated using a reciprocating abrader. The MPFs formed by sponge wear under various conditions were characterized in terms of their morphology, composition, and quantity. They were mainly composed of poly(melamine-formaldehyde) polymer with linear or branched fiber morphologies (10-405 μm in length), which were formed through deformation and fracture of the struts within open cells of the sponges, facilitated by friction-induced polymer decomposition. The rate and capability of MPF production generally increased with increasing roughness of the metal surface and density of the struts, respectively. The sponge wear could release 6.5 million MPFs/g, which could suggest a global overall emission of 4.9 trillion MPFs due to sponge consumption. Our study reveals a hitherto unrecognized source of the environmental MPF contamination and highlights the need to evaluate exposure risks associated with these new forms of MPFs.
摘要：
合成纺织纤维的磨损是产生环境微塑料纤维(MPF)的重要因素。专门设计用于表面清洁的聚合物海绵在正常使用期间具有释放MPF的倾向的程度仍然未知。这里,使用往复式磨擦器研究了具有不同支柱密度的三聚氰胺清洁海绵（也称为“魔术橡皮擦”）对不同粗糙度的金属表面的摩擦学行为。在各种条件下由海绵磨损形成的MPF根据其形态进行了表征，composition,和数量。它们主要由具有线性或支化纤维形态（长度为10-405μm）的聚（三聚氰胺-甲醛）聚合物组成，它们是通过海绵开放细胞内支柱的变形和断裂形成的，由摩擦诱导的聚合物分解促进。MPF生产的速率和能力通常随着金属表面粗糙度和支柱密度的增加而增加。分别。海绵磨损可释放650万MPF/g，这可能表明，由于海绵消费，全球总排放量为4.9万亿MPF。我们的研究揭示了迄今为止尚未认识到的环境MPF污染源，并强调需要评估与这些新形式的MPF相关的暴露风险。
