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A critical review of tire wear particles aging and ecotoxicological consequences in terrestrial environments: Insights into environmentally persistent free radicals
Summary
This review synthesizes evidence on how tire wear particles age in terrestrial environments and the resulting ecological consequences. Researchers found that UV-induced aging generates environmentally persistent free radicals and reactive oxygen species that amplify soil toxicity, while biodegradation may reduce some risks. The study highlights that characterizing aged tire wear particles remains difficult due to their compositional complexity and calls for standardized analytical methods.
Tire wear particles (TWPs), a major microplastic pollutant with global emissions estimated at 5.9 million tons annually, accumulate in terrestrial ecosystems, where aging processes critically influence their fate and ecotoxicity. This critical review synthesizes evidence on TWPs aging via oxidation, shear stress, and biodegradation, which alter their physicochemical properties. Aging processes, particularly UV-induced cleavage, generates environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), often exacerbated by additives like carbon black and zinc oxide (ZnO). Key findings reveal that photoaging amplifies soil toxicity through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and EPFRs formation, as well as additive release, whereas biodegradation may attenuate risks by reducing contaminant bioavailability. Characterizing aged TWPs challenging due to matrix interferences and compositional complexity that hinder the reliability of analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Addressing these limitations requires standardized analytical protocols, long-term field investigations, and mechanistic models capable of capturing TWPs transformations and interactions within soil-plant systems to better inform effective pollution mitigation strategies.