Hohenstein researcher awarded with prize

Dr. Jasmin Jung

During the Chemical Fiber Conference Dornbirn, the renowned Paul Schlack/Wilhelm Albrecht Prize was awarded to the Hohenstein researcher Dr. Jasmin Jung for her dissertation in the field of microplastic research. The work was supervised by Prof. Dr. Jochen Gutmann from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The award ceremony, like all lectures and discussions at the congress, took place online and in the form of webinars this year. The newly awarded laureate also expressed her gratitude online for the honor and the support she received during her research for her dissertation.

Dr. Jung developed a completely new analytical method within her dissertation titled "Establishment and Application of Dynamic Image Analysis for Determining Fibers in Wastewater from Textile Washing Processes" to identify fibers in wastewater from commercial laundries. Synthetic textile fibers are a common type of microplastic that enters aquatic habitats through textile washing. The factors influencing fiber release during (commercial) washing are still insufficiently researched according to current knowledge. Studies so far have mainly focused on the impact of household laundry. Dr. Jung established the new analytical method for synthetic fibers such as polyester and cotton, as well as their blends, using washing procedures and clothing textiles processed in commercial laundries. With the developed method, the proportions of polyester and cotton in mixed fabrics relative to the total fiber release can also be differentiated. As shown in experiments with two mixed fabrics of 50/50 and 65/35 percent polyester/cotton, predominantly cotton fibers (about 90 percent) were detectable in the wastewater. The abrasion contained only a small proportion of polyester fibers (about 10 percent).

The Paul Schlack/Wilhelm Albrecht Prize is awarded as part of the Dornbirn GFC Global Fiber Convention in Dornbirn (Austria) to promote chemical fiber research at universities and research institutes for outstanding work and research projects.