Natural textile fibers may persist for more than a century in lake sediments

Natural textile fibers may persist for more than a century in lake sediments

Natural fibers promoted as sustainable alternatives to plastic, including cotton and wool, have been found preserved in a U.K. lake for more than a century—challenging assumptions that they quickly biodegrade in the environment. For the study, researchers from Keele University and Loughborough University recovered textile fibers from a 150-year sediment record from Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire. Lying less than three miles from the historic mill…