polymers Review Effects of Technical Textiles and Synthetic Nanofibers on Environmental Pollution Ali Aldalbahi 1,* , Mehrez E. El-Naggar 2 , Mohamed H. El-Newehy 1 , Mostafizur Rahaman 1, Mohammad Rafe Hatshan 1 and Tawfik A. Khattab 2 1 Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] (M.H.E.-N.); [email protected] (M.R.); [email protected] (M.R.H.) 2 Textile Industries Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt; [email protected] (M.E.E.-N.); [email protected] (T.A.K.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Textile manufacturing has been one of the highest polluting industrial sectors. It represents about one-fifth of worldwide industrial water pollution. It uses a huge number of chemicals, numerous of which are carcinogenic. The textile industry releases many harmful chemicals, such as heavy metals and formaldehyde, into water streams and soil, as well as toxic gases such as suspended particulate matter and sulphur dioxide to air. These hazardous wastes, may cause diseases and severe problems to human health such as respiratory and heart diseases. Pollution caused by the worldwide textile manufacturing units results in unimaginable harm, such as textile polymers, auxiliaries and dyes, to the environment. This review presents a systematic and comprehensive survey of all recently produced high-performance textiles; and will therefore assist a deeper understanding of technical textiles providing a bridge between manufacturer and end-user. Moreover, the achievements in advanced applications of textile material will be extensively studied. Many classes of technical textiles were proved in a variety of applications of different fields. The introductory material- and process- correlated identifications regarding raw materials and their transformation into yarns, fibers and Citation: Aldalbahi, A.; El-Naggar, fabrics followed by dyeing, printing, finishing of technical textiles and their further processing will be M.E.; El-Newehy, M.H.; Rahaman, M.; explored. Thus, the environmental impacts of technical textiles on soil, air and water are discussed. Hatshan, M.R.; Khattab, T.A. Effects of Technical Textiles and Synthetic Keywords: technical textiles; synthetic fibers; nanofibers; natural fibers; finishing; environmental protection Nanofibers on Environmental Pollution. Polymers 2021, 13, 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13 010155 1. Introduction Received: 21 December 2020 A technical textile can be defined as a textile material and product manufactured Accepted: 30 December 2020 mainly for its technical and performance characteristics rather than their artistic or orna- Published: 3 January 2021 mental features [1–4]. Such a short definition obviously affords a significant scope for an explanation, particularly when an increasing amount of textile-based merchandise is Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neu- merging both technical performance and aesthetic characteristics and acts in an equivalent tral with regard to jurisdictional clai- measure. Technical textiles have been utilized for a variety of applications, including auto- ms in published maps and institutio- motive purposes such as safety belts, medical field such as surgical sutures, geotextiles such nal affiliations. as separation fabrics for soil layers, agriculture such as horticulture fabrics for protection from solar radiation, and protective textiles such as superhydrophobic fibers. It is a huge and increasing segment that supports a huge group of other industries [5–10]. Currently, technical textile materials are mainly used in filter garments, furnishings, medical hygiene Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Li- censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. and construction materials. The global market for high-performance textiles is rising as This article is an open access article never before. The market size of high-performance textiles has been projected to surpass distributed under the terms and con- about US$251.82 billion by 2027. It was estimated at US$175.73 billion in 2019 [11]. High- ditions of the Creative Commons At- performance textiles will have a similar story all over the world, being very strong, durable tribution (CC BY) license (https:// and versatile. With increasing demand and consumption, the difficulty of dumping will creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ also increase. Among the most demanding users of high-performance textiles are armed 4.0/). forces, while army workers are among those with the serious requirements. Technical Polymers 2021, 13, 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13010155 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers Polymers 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 26 durable and versatile. With increasing demand and consumption, the difficulty of dump- Polymers 2021, 13, 155 ing will also increase. Among the most demanding users of high-performance textiles2 ofare 26 armed forces, while army workers are among those with the serious requirements. Tech- nical textiles have demonstrated to be the main supplier to all these defense purposes replacing the traditional heavier merchandise [12–18]. There are major differences be- textiles have demonstrated to be the main supplier to all these defense purposes replacing tween technical textiles and conventional textiles industries [12–19]: the traditional heavier merchandise [12–18]. There are major differences between technical (a)textiles Technical and conventional textiles are textiles favored industries for their [ex12tremely–19]: precise performance quality, and consequently they are more expensive than conventional merchandise. (a) Technical textiles are favored for their extremely precise performance quality, and (b) Technical textile producers must use accepted testing techniques in order to gain cus- consequently they are more expensive than conventional merchandise. tomers’ trust concerning standard specifications. (b) Technical textile producers must use accepted testing techniques in order to gain (c) Technical textiles are for a certain sector of a market that requires more flexible pro- customers’ trust concerning standard specifications. duction schedules and smaller manufacture spells. (c) Technical textiles are for a certain sector of a market that requires more flexible (d) Technicalproduction textiles schedules producers and smaller usually manufacture have to be spells.prepared to spend on research and (d) developmentTechnical textiles [19]. producers usually have to be prepared to spend on research and Thedevelopment geometric [ 19facial]. appearance of the fibers facilitates the design, preparation of planarThe fabrics geometric via weaving facial appearance and knitting of proc the fibersesses. facilitatesThese textiles the design,are extremely preparation porous, of thusplanar controlling fabrics via thermal weaving isolation, and knitting wind processes. resistance, These and vapor textiles permeability are extremely such porous, as sweat. thus Incontrolling addition, thermal textiles isolation,fibers have wind to be resistance, able to afford and vapor specific permeability mechanical such properties as sweat. defined In ad- bydition, particular textiles values fibers haveof fiber to bestiffness able to and afford elasticity specific which mechanical allows properties for fabric defined structure by par-de- formation,ticular values and of incorporation fiber stiffness of and colorants. elasticity Tran whichsport allows technical for fabric textiles structure are involved deformation, in air- planes,and incorporation trains, automobiles. of colorants. and Transport boats, whic technicalh depend textiles strongly are involved on high-scale in airplanes, technical trains, partsautomobiles. possessing and a boats,very low which weight depend while strongly demon onstrating high-scale concurrently technical a partshigh stiffness possessing and a strengthvery low [20–22]. weight The while exploration demonstrating for an concurrently all-embracing a highterm stiffnessdescribing and such strength non-conven- [20–22]. tionalThe exploration clothing is for not an limited all-embracing to ‘Technical’ term describing and ‘Industrial’. such non-conventional Terms, such as “High-Perfor- clothing is not mancelimited Textiles, to ‘Technical’ Functional and ‘Industrial’.or Smart Textiles, Terms, Engineered such as “High-Performance Textiles and High-Tech Textiles, Textiles” Func- havetional been or Smart employed Textiles, in Engineereddifferent perspect Textilesives. and High-TechHowever, Textiles”the term have“High-Performance been employed Textiles”in different is often perspectives. used to describe However, the theactivity term of “High-Performance textiles [23,24]. This Textiles” critical review is often article used presentsto describe a systematic the activity survey of textiles on the [23 developme,24]. This criticalnt of technical review article textiles presents providing a systematic a bridge betweensurvey on manufacturer the development and ofend-user. technical The textiles accomplishments providing a bridge in advanced between applications manufacturer of technicaland end-user. textile The material accomplishments have been inproved advanced in different applications fields. of Raw technical materials textile and material their transformationshave been proved into in yarns, different fibers fields. and Raw fabrics; materials followed and by their dyeing, transformations printing, finishing into yarns, and theirfibers further and fabrics; processing followed are explored. by dyeing, The printing, environmental