Every year more than 240 million tons of plastic are used in the world and much of this is discarded and accumulates “at the end of its life”, especially in marine habitats.
One of the biggest problems is the microfibers (plastic fibers of less than 1mm) that are detached from all kinds of textiles during the washing processes. With the aim of reducing or eliminating microfiber throughout the value chain through the use of different technologies, SPB participates in the FIBERCLEAN project. It is a CIEN Program of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness through the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI, 2017).
In addition to SPB, 6 other national companies participate in the FIBERCLEAN consortium: Textil Santanderina, ANTEX, Polysistec, E.G.O. Appliance Controls, DAM (Purification of Mediterranean Waters) and Magtel Operations. It also has the collaboration of 3 research centers (Aitex, Leitat, Cetim) and two universities (the University of León and the University of Córdoba).
The project will be approached from two different perspectives:
1- Research and development of new yarns, fabrics and finished products with properties that prevent the release of microfibers.
2- Research and development of new technologies / products for the elimination or reduction of microfibers during washing and purification.
This second point is where SPB is working.