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The dominant type of polymer particles in water, sediment, and various organisms partly derives from natural and synthetic fibres released in the washing process. Pollution of aquatic recipients with these particles poses an interdisciplinary problem throughout the world. Wastewater from washing represents a dispersion system with different particle sizes that is also loaded with the source of the particles. Due to this complex system, the qualification and quantification of this type of pollution is difficult. In this paper, the laser diffraction technique was applied to characterize particles in effluents from washing and rinsing materials made of a mixture of cotton and polyester. The results obtained through the analysis prove that the laser diffraction technique is acceptable for the characterization of a composite effluent sample. The advanced statistical technique of multivariate analysis confirmed the interrelationship of the parameters of this complex dispersion system.

The sensitivity of chitosan to environmental conditions and processing conditions can stress its structure and cause degradation of this polymer on various application carriers. The stability of chitosan in a designed textile structure of standard polyester fabric with chitosan was analysed in a multiple washing process with a standard detergent by studying the properties before and after 10 washing cycles. The chitosan was coated on standard and alkali treated polyester fabrics. Washing was performed with an ECE A reference detergent at 60 °C according to the Standard protocol HRN EN ISO 6330 in 10 cycles. The washing stability of chitosan onto polyester fabrics was monitored by a staining test, zeta potential, breaking force, breaking elongation, pilling propensity, touch, whiteness, moisture transport, antimicrobial activity and morphological features. The staining test confirmed the wash stability of chitosan coated on alkali hydrolised polyester fabrics, while the chitosan coated on standard polyester fabric disappeared. Zeta potential proved to be the significant parameter for determining chitosan` stability. The tensile properties of fabric samples were harmonised with other characterisation parameters. Coating of polyester fabric with chitosan increased the elasticity of all samples. The antimicrobial activity of polyester fabrics coated with chitosan against Staphylococcus aureus was reduced by 20% after 10 washing cycles. All the characterisation parameters proved that polyester fabric as a chitosan carrier should be surface modified for designing a stable bioactive textile structure of chitosan and polyester.