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Tyre and road wear particles from source to sea
Microplastics and Nanoplastics2023
54 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Ida Järlskog,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Ida Järlskog,
Ida Järlskog,
Ida Järlskog,
Ida Järlskog,
Ida Järlskog,
Tim Wilkinson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Juliana Aristéia de Lima,
Juliana Aristéia de Lima,
Karin Mattsson,
Juliana Aristéia de Lima,
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Ida Järlskog,
Elisabet Ekstrand,
Elisabet Ekstrand,
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Juliana Aristéia de Lima,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Mats Gustafsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Tim Wilkinson,
Tim Wilkinson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Karin Mattsson,
Juliana Aristéia de Lima,
Mats Gustafsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Ida Järlskog,
Martin Hassellöv
Ida Järlskog,
Karin Mattsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Ida Järlskog,
Mats Gustafsson,
Elisabet Ekstrand,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Karin Mattsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Karin Mattsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Mats Gustafsson,
Elisabet Ekstrand,
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Martin Hassellöv
Mats Gustafsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Yvonne Andersson Sköld,
Mats Gustafsson,
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Karin Mattsson,
Karin Mattsson,
Ida Järlskog,
Martin Hassellöv
Mats Gustafsson,
Martin Hassellöv
Martin Hassellöv
Summary
Researchers traced tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) — tiny rubber fragments shed when vehicles brake and turn — from urban roads into marine sediments, finding that softer tyres with more natural rubber shed more particles and that TRWP concentrations drop sharply with distance from cities. Unlike lighter microplastics that drift widely, TRWP sink quickly and accumulate near urban coastlines, threatening nearshore sediment ecosystems.
Abstract Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) are an important microplastics contributor to the environment, although direct observations along suggested pathways are virtually absent. There are concerns for both human health and ecosystems from TRWP exposure and leached chemicals. Due to great analytical challenges in detection and characterization, almost nothing is known about the physicochemical characteristics, occurrence, fate and transport of TRWP in the environment. Diverse tyre types exist for different seasons and vehicle profiles, and their formulations are undisclosed proprietary information. Here we show TRWP dispersion in marine sediments, and a direct link between tyre formulation, tread hardness and TRWP emissions. Softer tyres with higher natural rubber and carbon black content generate higher particle wear. Sediment TRWP dominates the microplastics assemblage close to the city, while showing a much more steeply reducing concentration gradient with distance from the source, suggesting different transport behaviour compared to lower density microplastics. This implies that urbanized coastal ecosystems are impacted by the accumulating TRWP, with consequences for sediment ecosystems. One-sentence summary Tyre and road wear particles—The link between tyre formulation, emissions and their spread in the marine environment.