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Wastewater inflows can promote Cd and Zn mobilization from tire and road wear particles in rivers
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Tiny bits of worn tires and road dust wash into rivers, and they can carry toxic metals like cadmium and zinc. This study found that when rivers have a lot of wastewater in them (especially treated sewage), those metals are more likely to break free and dissolve into the water instead of staying stuck to the particles. As droughts and climate change make rivers more dependent on wastewater, this could mean more of these metals ending up in water supplies and ecosystems that people rely on.
Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) are particulate emissions of rising concerns. Due to their potential adverse effects on organisms and the rising emission levels the European Union has included TRWP in the new Euro 7 standard, however, regulatory limits have not been established. TRWP are emitted into all compartments, with up to 20 % reaching the aquatic environment. Here they may act as a carrier for other pollutants such as antibiotics, plasticizers or heavy metals. The binding of heavy metals like Cd, Zn to TRWP is relatively weak. Consequently, changes in environmental conditions, including increased salinity or decrease in pH can reduce adsorption or induce desorption of previously adsorbed Cd and Zn. In this study we investigate the influence of anthropogenic dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the adsorption behavior of heavy metals to TRWP. A case study using water samples from the River Hrazdan (Armenia) revealed that untreated wastewater promotes the mobilization of Zn, whereas water samples associated with algal blooms does not have a comparable effect. Further controlled laboratory experiments with artificially defined proportions of treated wastewater demonstrated that Cd and Zn adsorption is hindered when the proportion of treated wastewater exceeds 25–50 % of the experimental solution. This was linked to the presence of humic-rich DOM and potential complexation mechanisms. Cr, Ni, As and Pb were not affected under these conditions. These findings are relevant for regions where summer droughts or climate change may result in river systems increasingly dominated by (treated) wastewater inflows.
More Papers Like This
Potential deterioration of chemical water quality due to trace metal adsorption onto tire and road wear particles – Environmentally representative experiments
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Researchers studied how tire and road wear particles affect water quality by adsorbing trace metals from the environment. They found that these particles, which constitute a significant fraction of microplastic emissions, can adsorb metals like zinc and copper from water under realistic environmental conditions. The findings indicate that tire wear particles may worsen chemical water quality in surface waters by acting as carriers and concentrators of toxic metals.
Aquatic ecosystem degradation attributed to tire wear particles in urban roadway runoff
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Tiny particles worn off car and truck tires wash into streams and rivers every time it rains, and this study found they disrupt aquatic ecosystems by killing off algae and the small creatures that eat them—the base of the food chain. While the research focused on stream health rather than direct human health effects, this matters because damaged waterways affect drinking water sources and the fish we eat, showing that tire pollution is a hidden environmental cost of driving that deserves more attention.
Microplastics in the Danube River Basin: A First Comprehensive Screening with a Harmonized Analytical Approach
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Researchers tracked how tire-derived particles move through an urban stormwater system and accumulate in receiving waterways, finding significant retention in retention ponds and stream sediments. Zinc and 6PPD-quinone, a tire antioxidant transformation product, were detected at concentrations toxic to coho salmon.
Particle-Associated Contaminant Transport in Rivers during High Discharge Events
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Researchers examined suspended river sediments during high discharge events for the presence of anthropogenic particles including microplastics and tyre wear particles, as well as their co-transport with organic pollutants including PFAS and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in an urbanizing catchment context.
Quantifying tire wear particle dynamics: insights from a hydrological-based material flow analysis in urban watersheds
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Tiny plastic bits from car tires wash off roads and into waterways every time it rains, and this study found that dense city centers create way more of this pollution (up to 15 times more) than suburban areas—with a single heavy storm after a dry spell able to flush out 30% of a whole year's worth of tire particles in just one day. Since tire particles are a major source of microplastics entering our water systems (and potentially our food and drinking water), knowing exactly where and when they spike can help cities target cleanup efforts, like better storm drain filters, where they'll do the most good.
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