We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
A hidden route of exposure: adsorption of endocrine disrupting compounds and chemicals of emerging concern on tire rubber
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how tire wear particles, a major source of microplastics in the environment, adsorb endocrine-disrupting compounds and other emerging contaminants. Using batch experiments and LC-MS/MS analysis, they found that sorption was rapid and compound-specific, with tire rubber efficiently retaining antibiotics, hormonal compounds, and hydroxylated PAHs, indicating tire particles may serve as hidden transport vectors for these pollutants.
UNLABELLED: Tire wear particles (TWPs) are a major component of non-exhaust traffic emissions and an important source of microplastics capable of retaining and transporting organic contaminants. This study investigated the sorption behaviour and adsorption kinetics of antibiotics (AAs), the endocrine-active compound E3, hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) and the biomarker cotinine using batch experiments (15–24 h) combined with LC-MS/MS analysis. Sorption was rapid and compound-specific. Cotinine showed the highest adsorption capacity (q = 90.91 µg g), 5-hPZA was the most strongly retained among AAs (38.18 µg g), and 4-OH-PHEN exhibited the highest uptake among OH-PAHs (24.63 µg g). Most analytes followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (typically R² > 0.98), while several OH-PAHs displayed deviations, indicating diverse adsorption behaviour. Raman and ATR-FTIR analyses confirmed the heterogeneous composition of TWPs, including carbonaceous and inorganic fillers. Overall, the results demonstrate that TWPs act as effective sorbents for multiple classes of micropollutants and may influence their environmental mobility and persistence. Further research under environmentally realistic conditions - including quantitative assessment of TWP abundance and competitive sorption between co-occurring contaminants - is needed to better predict their role in air, soil and water systems. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-37140-7.
More Papers Like This
Adsorption of emerging micropollutants on tire wear particles
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how tire wear particles (TWP) adsorb two common water pollutants—bisphenol A and 1H-benzotriazole—and how aging processes (photo, chemical, biological) affect that adsorption. TWP showed stronger adsorption of bisphenol A than benzotriazole, and aging altered sorption behavior, highlighting TWP as a significant carrier of micropollutants in aquatic environments.
[Adsorption and Desorption Behaviors of Antibiotics on TWP and PVC Particles Before and After Aging].
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared how tire wear particles and conventional PVC microplastics adsorb and release two antibiotics, finding tire wear particles behaved differently due to their complex composition. Aging of both particle types altered their adsorption capacity, with implications for how microplastics and tire particles spread antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments.
Aging-mediated selective adsorption of antibiotics by tire wear particles: Hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions effects
AI summary Read the abstract
Tire wear particles (a major form of microplastic pollution on roads) become more porous and adsorptive after aging through freeze-thaw cycles or ozone exposure, increasing their capacity to carry certain antibiotics by up to 28-fold for fluoroquinolones. However, the same aging process reduces adsorption of sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics, reflecting how the chemistry of both the particle and the antibiotic interact. This shows that weathered tire particles on roadways and in waterways can act as vehicles for antibiotic transport, with implications for antibiotic resistance spread in the environment.
Aging, characterization and sorption behavior evaluation of tire wear particles for tetracycline in aquatic environment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers aged tire wear particles using UV weathering and chemical oxidation and studied how aging affects their sorption of tetracycline antibiotics, finding that weathering significantly alters surface chemistry and increases the capacity of tire particles to adsorb and potentially transport pharmaceutical contaminants.
The molecular interactions of organic compounds with tire crumb materials differ substantially from those with other microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that tire crumb rubber — a major source of roadside microplastic pollution — interacts with organic contaminants differently than other plastic types due to its carbon-rich matrix. This has important implications for predicting how tire-derived microplastics transport and release toxic chemicals in the environment.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.