Dataset for the conference paper "Fiber-reinforced cement as a source of microplastics and their post-release behaviour" This (ReadMe) file was created on 2025-12-18 by KATJA TURK. ------------------- GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------- Dataset description: The dataset supports the data presented in the tables and figures of the conference paper: "Fiber-reinforced cement as a source of microplastics and their post-release behaviour". It includes mass measurements and calculations used for density determination of (micro)fibres by pycnometer, quantitative results derived from image analysis performed using a custom-made Mathematica program for assessing cement coverage on fibre surfaces, as well as results of leaching experiments, including measured TOC, IC and TC concentrations in leachate samples. Author/leading researcher details Name and surname: Katja Turk ORCID: / SICRIS ID: https://cris.cobiss.net/ecris/si/sl/researcher/56879 Institution: Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute Address: Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Institution: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology Address: Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: katja.turk@zag.si Role in this dataset: A collection of raw data, organising datasets and preparing calculations to enable subsequent interpretation and analysis of the results. Information about the author(s) Name and surname: Branka Mušič ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3538-9373 SICRIS ID: https://cris.cobiss.net/ecris/si/sl/researcher/18031 Institution: Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute Address: Dimičeva ulica 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: branka.music@zag.si Date of data collection: from 2025-07-29 to 2025-11-20. Geographical location of data collection: Ljubljana, Slovenia Information on the funders/programmes/projects that made the data collection possible: This research was funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) through research program P2-0273 and the Young Researcher Program (grant no. 59559). ----------------------------- SHARING/ACCESSING INFORMATION ----------------------------- Data licences/restrictions: CC-BY Links to publications that cite or use the data: paper's PID/DOI/handle, when published. ---------------------- VIEWING DATA AND FILES ---------------------- File list: - Data (TBMCE 2025).xlsx - Description: Raw numerical data obtained from a custom-made Mathematica program for assessing cement coverage on fibre surfaces, mass measurements for density determination, and TOC measurements. - Pictures_SEM.zip- Description: SEM pictures of fibre surface with cement residues. - Adhesion_script.txt - Description: A custom-made Mathematica script, provided as a plain text file to ensure accessibility and long-term usability, used for the quantitative assessment of cement coverage on fibre surfaces from SEM images. -------------------------- METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION -------------------------- Methods used to collect/obtain the data: The methods used to collect the data are described in the "Materials and methods" section of the conference paper. Data processing methods: The data was processed with the custom made Mathematica program, calculations in excel and graphical interpretation in Origin. ------------------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: Data (TBMCE 2025).xlsx ------------------------------------- This sheet contains the calculated values of surface coverage of cement residues on polymer fibres based on SEM image analysis performed in Mathematica. The images were pre-processed and binarised, and surface coverage values were extracted from the resulting pixel matrices. For each fibre type, individual coverage values as well as the calculated mean and standard deviation are reported. The sheet also includes screenshots of the Mathematica output following image processing and data evaluation. These data support the SEM-based quantification of cement adhesion discussed in the manuscript. This sheet contains pycnometric density measurements of (micro)fibres. It includes recorded masses of the pycnometer (g) at different measurement stages (empty pycnometer, pycnometer with sample, pycnometer with sample and isopropanol, and pycnometer filled with isopropanol), measured in three parallel replicates for each sample. Based on these measurements, density values (g/mL) were calculated, together with the corresponding mean values and standard deviations. These data correspond to Table 1 in the paper. This sheet presents measurements of total organic carbon (TOC), inorganic carbon (IC) and total carbon (TC) in leachates obtained from a multi N/C 3100 analyser (Analytik Jena, Germany) for leachates of fibre samples and a blank deionised water control. Leaching experiments were conducted in three parallel replicates per sample, and for each replicate two carbon measurements were performed. Carbon concentrations are reported in mg/L. The sheet further includes calculated mean values and standard deviations. These data correspond to Figure 4 in the paper. Sample labels used in this dataset are consistent with those reported in the manuscript and include 12 mm polypropylene fibres (f-PP), 12 mm recycled polyethylene terephthalate fibres (f-rPET), polypropylene microfibres (µf-PP) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate microfibres (µf-rPET). ------------------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: Pictures_SEM.zip ------------------------------------- A ZIP file containing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) PP and rPET fibres acquired at 2000× magnification. The images were used for qualitative and quantitative assessment of cement residues adhering to the fibre surfaces. For each fibre type, three SEM images are included and were analysed to determine surface coverage by cement using a custom made Mathematica program. ------------------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: Adhesion_script.txt ------------------------------------- The script performs image processing, including image import, rotation and trimming to isolate the fibre region, image sharpening, grayscale thresholding and binarization to distinguish fibre surface (background) from adhering cement residues. Based on the resulting binary images, the script calculates the fraction of surface area covered by cement by analysing the pixel matrix. The output includes individual coverage values for each image, which were subsequently used for statistical evaluation (mean values and standard deviations, MannWhitneyTest, TTest).