Jesse Daystar, Ph.D.

Highlights

-The biodegradability was as follows: Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) > Cotton > Rayon > Polyester/Cotton >> Polyester.

-The biodegradability depends on the chemical nature of the fibers and the microorganisms present in the environment.

-The biodegradation achieved with activated sludge from the WWTP and lake water was higher than with the seawater.

-The bacterial diversity analyses show that there are different communities developed in… Show more

Highlights

-The biodegradability was as follows: Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) > Cotton > Rayon > Polyester/Cotton >> Polyester.

-The biodegradability depends on the chemical nature of the fibers and the microorganisms present in the environment.

-The biodegradation achieved with activated sludge from the WWTP and lake water was higher than with the seawater.

-The bacterial diversity analyses show that there are different communities developed in each inoculum system.

-There are distinct communities related to the biodegradable and non-degraded samples.


The aerobic biodegradation of common textiles that shed microfibers during laundering was evaluated under the action of microbes found in the environment, such as lake and seawater, and activated sludge at a low concentration from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Under these conditions, the biodegradation potential was the same in all the experiments: Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) > Cotton > Rayon > Polyester/Cotton ≫ Polyester. Nevertheless, for cotton and rayon yarns, >70% biodegradation was achieved with activated sludge at low concentration and lake water, whereas in seawater, about 50% degradation was reached. Polyester did not appreciably degrade. The biodegradation results herein indicate potential not absolutes in nature. The bacterial diversity analyses in the different biodegradation inoculums show that there are distinct bacterial communities related to the assimilation and mineralization of complex carbohydrates that were promoted with the cellulosic MCC, cotton, and rayon samples different than the polyester sample. Show less

The fibers in your clothes, the water temperature, and the use of detergent all play a role in microfiber release during laundering, impacting our aquatic ecosystems.

-Cellulose-based fibers degrade in aquatic conditions whereas polyester fibers do not.

-All fabrics types studied released significant microfibers during accelerated and home laundering.

-The use of detergent increases the generation of microfibers during laundering.

-Fabrics with higher abrasion… Show more

The fibers in your clothes, the water temperature, and the use of detergent all play a role in microfiber release during laundering, impacting our aquatic ecosystems.

-Cellulose-based fibers degrade in aquatic conditions whereas polyester fibers do not.

-All fabrics types studied released significant microfibers during accelerated and home laundering.

-The use of detergent increases the generation of microfibers during laundering.

-Fabrics with higher abrasion resistance, lower hairiness, and higher yarn strength released less microfibers.


The effect of fiber type (cotton, polyester, and rayon), temperature, and use of detergent on the number of microfibers released during laundering of knitted fabrics were studied during accelerated laboratory washing (Launder-Ometer) and home laundering experiments. Polyester and cellulose-based fabrics all shed significant amounts of microfibers and shedding levels were increased with higher water temperature and detergent use. Cellulose-based fabrics released more microfibers (0.2–4 mg/g fabric) during accelerated laundering than polyester (0.1–1 mg/g fabric). Using well-controlled aquatic biodegradation experiments it was shown that cotton and rayon microfibers are expected to degrade in natural aquatic aerobic environments whereas polyester microfibers are expected to persist in the environment for long periods of time. Show less

The way we use our clothing matters, significantly shaping our environmental footprint with every wash and wear.

-The global survey of over 6,000 respondents revealed average washes per lifetime: 17.3 for T-shirts, 22.2 for knit collared shirts, and 23.5 for woven pants, with notable variation between countries

-Respondents reported an average first-use period of 37 months for T-shirts, 40 months for knit collared shirts, and 42 months for pants

-The United States showed a… Show more

The way we use our clothing matters, significantly shaping our environmental footprint with every wash and wear.

-The global survey of over 6,000 respondents revealed average washes per lifetime: 17.3 for T-shirts, 22.2 for knit collared shirts, and 23.5 for woven pants, with notable variation between countries

-Respondents reported an average first-use period of 37 months for T-shirts, 40 months for knit collared shirts, and 42 months for pants

-The United States showed a high machine drying rate of 73%, while all other countries surveyed reported less than 13%

-Asian countries indicated higher rates of clothing disposal, while European countries and the United States reported higher rates of donations to charity Show less

Cotton is a natural fiber that takes up carbon dioxide from the environment when grown; however, it requires various resources to be cultivated in a financially viable way. Resources such as fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and irrigation water can create environmental impacts as well as present significant costs to the grower. Understanding the efficacy of technologies and grower practices is an important aspect of developing best practices and guiding future research. To better understand… Show more

Cotton is a natural fiber that takes up carbon dioxide from the environment when grown; however, it requires various resources to be cultivated in a financially viable way. Resources such as fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and irrigation water can create environmental impacts as well as present significant costs to the grower. Understanding the efficacy of technologies and grower practices is an important aspect of developing best practices and guiding future research. To better understand the grower needs, practices, and resource use efficiency, a survey was conducted in 2015 with 925 U.S. cotton grower respondents. This survey gathered data on field performance, pest pressures, growing practices, and other parameters that were used to examine the resources used per pound of cotton lint as well as estimate the greenhouse gas emissions and energy use from cotton cultivation. In general, growers who used various precision agricultural technologies reported higher performing fields with higher resource use efficiencies than non-precision technology adopters. Show less

The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks, including pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwoods, forest residues, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum, was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis was performed for each feedstock, calculating costs and supply requirements for the production of 453,592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate… Show more

The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks, including pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwoods, forest residues, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum, was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis was performed for each feedstock, calculating costs and supply requirements for the production of 453,592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate environmental impacts from these modeled supply systems were quantified for nine mid-point indicators using SimaPro 7.2 LCA software. Conversion of grassland to managed forest for bioenergy resulted in large reductions in GHG emissions due to carbon uptake associated with direct land use change. By contrast, converting forests to cropland resulted in large increases in GHG emissions. Production of forest-based feedstocks for biofuels resulted in lower delivered cost, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and lower overall environmental impacts than the agricultural feedstocks studied. Forest residues had the lowest environmental impact and delivered cost per dry tonne. Using forest-based biomass feedstocks instead of agricultural feedstocks would result in lower cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and delivered biomass costs for biofuel production in the southern U.S. Show less

There has been great attention focused on the effects of first and second generation biofuels on global warming. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have mandated production levels and performance criteria of biofuels in the United States. The thermochemical conversion of biomass to ethanol shows potential as a biofuel production pathway. The objective of this research was to examine the alcohol yields and GHG emissions from the thermochemical… Show more

There has been great attention focused on the effects of first and second generation biofuels on global warming. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have mandated production levels and performance criteria of biofuels in the United States. The thermochemical conversion of biomass to ethanol shows potential as a biofuel production pathway. The objective of this research was to examine the alcohol yields and GHG emissions from the thermochemical conversion process for six different feedstocks on a gate-to-gate basis. GHG analyses and life cycle assessments were performed for natural hardwood, loblolly pine, eucalyptus, miscanthus, corn stover, and switchgrass feedstocks using a NREL thermochemical model and SimaPro. Alcohol yield and GHG emission for the hybrid poplar baseline feedstock conversion were 105,400 L dry metric ton-1 and 2.8 kg CO2 eq. per liter, respectively. Compared with the baseline, loblolly pine produced the highest alcohol yields, an 8.5% increase, and the lowest GHG emissions per liter of ethanol, a 9.1% decrease. Corn stover, due to its high ash content, had the lowest yields and the highest GHG emissions per liter of ethanol. The results were highly sensitive to the ash and water content of the biomass, indicating that biomass properties can significantly affect the environmental impact of the thermochemical ethanol conversion process. Show less

The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks, including
pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwoods, forest residues, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum,
was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify
feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis models were
created for each feedstock calculating costs and supply chain requirements for the production
453,592 dry tonnes of biomass per… Show more

The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks, including
pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwoods, forest residues, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum,
was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify
feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis models were
created for each feedstock calculating costs and supply chain requirements for the production
453,592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate environmental impacts from these
supply systems were quantified for nine mid-point indicators using SimaPro 7.2 LCA software.
Conversion of grassland to managed forest for bioenergy resulted in large reductions in GHG
emissions, due to carbon sequestration associated with direct land use change. However,
converting forests to energy cropland resulted in large increases in GHG emissions. Production
of forest-based feedstocks for biofuels resulted in lower delivered cost, lower greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions and lower overall environmental impacts than the studied agricultural
feedstocks. Forest residues had the lowest environmental impact and delivered cost per dry
tonne. Using forest-based biomass feedstocks instead of agricultural feedstocks would result in
lower cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and delivered biomass costs for biofuel production
in the southern U.S. Show less

The economics of producing cellulosic ethanol using loblolly pine, natural mixed hardwood, Eucalyptus, corn stover, and switchgrass as feedstocks was simulated in Aspen Plus using the thermochemical process via indirect gasification and mixed alcohol synthesis developed by NREL. Outputs from the simulation were linked to an economic analysis spreadsheet to estimate NPV, IRR, payback and to run further sensitivity analysis of the different combinations of feedstocks.

The heightened interest in biofuels addresses the national objectives of reducing carbon emissions as well as reducing
dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Using life-cycle analysis to evaluate alternative uses of wood including both products and
fuels reveals a hierarchy of carbon and energy impacts characterized by their efficiency in reducing carbon emissions and/or
in displacing fossil energy imports. Life-cycle comparisons are developed for biofuel feedstocks (mill and forest… Show more

The heightened interest in biofuels addresses the national objectives of reducing carbon emissions as well as reducing
dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Using life-cycle analysis to evaluate alternative uses of wood including both products and
fuels reveals a hierarchy of carbon and energy impacts characterized by their efficiency in reducing carbon emissions and/or
in displacing fossil energy imports. Life-cycle comparisons are developed for biofuel feedstocks (mill and forest residuals,
thinnings, and short rotation woody crops) with bioprocessing (pyrolysis, gasification, and fermentation) to produce liquid
fuels and for using the feedstock for pellets and heat for drying solid wood products, all of which displace fossil fuels and
fossil fuel–intensive products. Fossil carbon emissions from lignocellulosic biofuels are substantially lower than emissions
from conventional gasoline. While using wood to displace fossil fuel–intensive materials (such as for steel floor joists) is
much more effective in reducing carbon emissions than using biofuels to directly displace fossil fuels, displacing
transportation fuels with ethanol provides the opportunity to also reduce dependence on imported energy. The complex nature
of wood uses and how wood fuels and products interact in their environments, as well as the methods needed to understand
these impacts and summarize the relative benefits of different alternatives, are discussed herein. Policies designed to increase
biofuel use by subsidies or mandates may increase prices enough to divert biomass feedstock away from producing products,
such as for composite panels, resulting in increased emissions from fossil fuel–intensive substitutes. Show less

The goal of this study was to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil energy requirements from the
production and use (cradle-to-grave) of bioethanol produced from the indirect gasification thermochemical conversion of
loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) residues. Additional impact categories (acidification and eutrophication) were also analyzed. Of
the life-cycle stages, the thermochemical fuel production and biomass growth stages resulted in the greatest… Show more

The goal of this study was to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil energy requirements from the
production and use (cradle-to-grave) of bioethanol produced from the indirect gasification thermochemical conversion of
loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) residues. Additional impact categories (acidification and eutrophication) were also analyzed. Of
the life-cycle stages, the thermochemical fuel production and biomass growth stages resulted in the greatest environmental
impact for the bioethanol product life cycle. The GHG emissions from fuel transportation and process chemicals used in the
thermochemical conversion process were minor (less than 1 percent of conversion emissions). The net GHG emissions over
the bioethanol life cycle, cradle-to-grave, was 74 percent less than gasoline of an equal energy content, meeting the 60
percent minimum reduction requirement of the Renewable Fuels Standard to qualify as an advanced (second generation)
biofuel. Also, bioethanol had a 72 percent lower acidification impact and a 59 percent lower eutrophication impact relative to
gasoline. The fossil fuel usage for bioethanol was 96 percent less than gasoline, mainly because crude oil is used as the
primary feedstock for gasoline production. The total GHG emissions for the bioethanol life cycle analyzed in this study were
determined to be similar to the comparable scenario from the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in
Transportation model. A sensitivity analysis determined that mass allocation of forest establishment burdens to the residues
was not significant for GHG emissions but had significant effects on the acidification and eutrophication impact categories. Show less

Cellulose and some cellulose derivatives can play vital roles in the enhancement of the performance of absorbent products. Cellulose itself, in the form of cellulosic fibers or nano-fibers, can provide structure, bulk, water-holding capacity, and channeling of fluids over a wide dimensional range. Likewise, cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) have been widely studied as components in superabsorbent polymer (SAP) formulations. The present review focuses on strategies and… Show more

Cellulose and some cellulose derivatives can play vital roles in the enhancement of the performance of absorbent products. Cellulose itself, in the form of cellulosic fibers or nano-fibers, can provide structure, bulk, water-holding capacity, and channeling of fluids over a wide dimensional range. Likewise, cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) have been widely studied as components in superabsorbent polymer (SAP) formulations. The present review focuses on strategies and mechanisms in which inclusion of cellulose -- in its various forms -- can enhance either the capacity or the rate of aqueous fluid absorption in various potential applications. Show less