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What is known and unknown concerning microplastics from tyre wear?
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This review synthesizes current knowledge on tyre wear particles (TWPs) as a major source of road-traffic microplastics, covering how particle generation, transport pathways, and environmental fate depend on tyre composition, road characteristics, and weather. A key finding is that while TWPs can be identified in environmental samples, quantifying them precisely remains difficult and expensive—a gap that must be closed to accurately assess human and ecological exposure.
Pollution of the environment by microplastics is a problem that is increasingly visible and worrisome, with tyre wear particles (TWPs) being considered, after several studies, as one of the major sources of microplastics. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the current knowledge on microplastics generated by road traffic, more specifically in TWPs. Generation and pathways depend on different factors like characteristics of the tyre and road or physical properties of the particles, among others. Currently, there are some studies on TWPs, both, carried out at the laboratory and under real scale conditions. So far, it has been possible to identify the presence of TWPs in samples, but their quantification involves time-consuming and expensive methods. The big knowledge gap is to find a standardised and practical method for sampling, detection and quantification, so more research on TWPs and their dispersion in the environment is needed.
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Microplastics from tyre and road wear A literature review
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This literature review examines microplastics generated from tire and road wear, identifying road traffic as a significant but often overlooked source of plastic pollution in urban runoff and waterways. The authors assess what is known about tire particle composition, environmental fate, and potential ecological effects.
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Researchers collected tire wear particles from roadside drains and natural environments near a major UK road, finding that these particles are abundant and widespread yet frequently undetected in environmental monitoring, suggesting tyre wear is a major but under-reported microplastic source.
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This study reviews tyre wear particles as a major but underestimated source of microplastic pollution from road transport, describing methods for detecting these particles in environmental samples including road dust, waterways, and soils. The authors call for greater regulatory attention to tyre-derived emissions alongside other transport-related pollutants.
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Researchers reviewed measures to reduce the spread of microplastic particles from tyre wear at the vehicle, road, and roadside environment levels, examining the transport pathways via air, water, and snow and the risks these persistent, potentially toxic particles pose to ecosystems and human health.
Tire Abrasion as a Major Source of Microplastics in the Environment
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This study analyzed tire wear particles as a major source of microplastics in the environment, estimating that tire abrasion contributes a substantial fraction of total microplastic emissions globally and highlighting road runoff as a key delivery pathway to waterways.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.