Microfiber release from textiles during domestic laundering has become an important environmental concern due to its contribution to airborne and waterborne microplastic pollution. While washing processes have been widely studied, microfiber generation during tumble drying remains less understood, particularly in heat pump dryers.

The experimental investigation systematically examined the root process parameters influencing lint release in heat pump tumble dryers. Thermo-mechanical drum–fabric interactions were evaluated across varying drum and fan speeds and temperature conditions using a 4 kg, 100% cotton test load at 60% initial moisture content. The study identified the dominant root causes of lint generation and informed the development of a new control algorithm aimed at reducing microfiber release

Experimantal results show that temperature alone is not a dominant factor. Higher drying temperatures increased thermal stress but shortened cycle duration, leading to no statistically significant difference in total microfiber release. Fabric moisture level was determined to be the dominant and critical parameter in microfiber release.Once the fabric moisture content decreased below a critical threshold, the fibers exhibited increased brittleness, leading to a pronounced rise in microfiber generation. Drum speed reduction strategies that did not account for the moisture-dependent behavior of the fabric showed only limited effectiveness.

Based on the experimental findings, a two-stage drum control strategy was implemented, applying higher drum speed in the early drying phase and reduced drum speed in the later phase. This strategy resulted in...