Disintegration Rate and Fragment Size Distribution
topic
Physical disintegration testing measures the mass fraction of textile specimen remaining on a 2 millimetre sieve after defined composting or degradation exposure periods, tracking the rate of physical fragmentation from intact fabric to sub-millimetre particle fractions using digital image analysis and dry sieving to characterise the disintegration kinetics distinct from chemical mineralisation rates.
Role
Distinguishes physical fragmentation from true mineralisation to CO2 and water, identifying the problematic scenario where textiles rapidly disintegrate into microplastic-sized fragments without complete mineralisation, ensuring that certified biodegradable textiles achieve genuine complete mineralisation rather than fragmentation that creates a more bioavailable microplastic contamination pathway.
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