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Physical and chemical characteristics of particles emitted by a passenger vehicle at the tire-road contact
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As electric vehicles reduce tailpipe pollution, a different problem is growing: dust from tires, brakes, and roads grinding together as you drive. This study found that these particles almost always mix with road dust rather than existing as pure tire or brake fragments, and they carry heavy metals like barium, manganese, and chromium, meaning the air pollution from just driving on roads (even in an EV) deserves as much attention as exhaust fumes have gotten. This matters because these tiny particles can be breathed in, and unlike exhaust emissions, they aren't going away as cars go electric.
Non-exhaust emissions are now recognized as a significant source of atmospheric particulate matter and the trend towards a reduction of conventionally fueled internal combustion engine vehicles on the road is increasing their contribution to air pollution due to lower exhaust emissions. These particles include brake wear particles (BWP) and tire-road contact particles (TRCP), which are composed of tire wear particles (TWP), road wear particles (RWP) and resuspended road dust (RRD). The goal of this study has therefore been to design an original experimental approach to provide insight into the chemical composition of particles emitted at the tire-road contact, focusing on the micron (PM10-1μm) and submicron (PM1-0.1μm) fractions. Through this characterization, an examination of the different TRCP generated by different materials (tire, road surface, brake system) was conducted. To achieve this, TRCP were collected at the rear of the wheel of an instrumented vehicle during road and track tests, and a SEM-EDX analysis was performed. Our experimental conditions have allowed us to demonstrate that, at the individual particle scale, TRCP are consistently associated with road dust materials and particles solely composed of tire or road materials are practically non-existent. The contribution of BWP to TRCP is marked by the emission of Fe-rich particles, including heavy metals like Ba, Mn and Cr. TWP, which result from rubber abrasion, consist of C-rich particles abundant in Si, Zn, and S. RWP, mainly composed of Al, Si, Fe, and Ca, can be either part of RRD or internally mixed with emitted TWP. The findings of this study highlight the substantial role of RRD to TRCP emissions under real driving conditions. Consequently, it underscores the importance of examining them simultaneously to achieve a more accurate estimation of on-road traffic emissions beyond the vehicle exhaust.
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This study characterized non-exhaust particulate emissions from vehicles including brake wear, tire wear, and road surface particles, examining their size distributions, chemical composition, and toxicity potential. The results support calls for regulatory frameworks that extend beyond tailpipe emissions to address the full spectrum of vehicle-derived pollution.
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Researchers characterized non-exhaust particulate emissions from vehicle tire and road wear, collecting atmospheric PM samples with a high-volume quartz filter sampler and using pyrolysis-GC/MS to analyze tire rubber markers including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, quantifying the contribution of tire-brake-road wear particles to urban air pollution.
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Even electric cars, which don't have tailpipe pollution, still create harmful particle pollution from brakes, tires, and road wear—and because EVs are heavier, this "non-exhaust" pollution can actually be worse. This paper reviews current research and finds that these particles now make up the vast majority of traffic-related air pollution, but scientists still don't fully understand how tiny nanoparticles from tire and brake wear affect our health, or how much of this debris ends up contaminating our soil and water. The takeaway: switching to electric vehicles alone won't solve pollution from driving, and more research and stronger regulations are need
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