Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanism of microplastic and nanoplastic emission from tire wear

Scientists showed that normal tire wear produces two distinct populations of plastic particles: smaller airborne nanoplastics that stay suspended in the air, and larger microplastics that settle to the ground. Nanoplastic emissions increase dramatically with vehicle speed and weight, and electric charge keeps the smallest particles floating in the air where they can be inhaled. This research identifies tire wear as a major and previously underappreciated source of breathable nanoplastic pollution.

2025 Soft Matter 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire Abrasion as a Major Source of Microplastics in the Environment

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.

2018 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 582 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of a parametrized and regionalized life cycle inventory model for tire and road wear particles

Researchers developed a detailed model for estimating tire and road wear particle emissions, a major but often overlooked source of microplastics from vehicle traffic. The model accounts for nine key factors including road texture, driving behavior, temperature, and tire type, and can generate estimates at both individual vehicle and national scales. The study found that road surface roughness, aggressive driving, and wet conditions are the biggest drivers of large particle emissions, while temperature and vehicle load most affect fine particle release.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of physical and chemical properties of particulate matter caused by vehicle tire wear

Researchers characterized the physical and chemical properties of submicron tire wear particles generated from vehicle use on roadways. Using advanced analytical techniques, they identified the elemental composition and morphological structure of these particles, finding notable concentrations of metals and heavy metals. The study highlights that tire wear particles are a significant source of microplastic and chemical pollution with potential implications for human health and the environment.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentrations of tire wear microplastics and other traffic-derived non-exhaust particles in the road environment

Researchers measured actual environmental concentrations of tire wear microplastics and other traffic-derived non-exhaust particles in a rural highway setting, providing field-based data to complement the theoretical estimates that dominate current literature.

2022 Environment International 153 citations
Article Tier 2

What is known and unknown concerning microplastics from tyre wear?

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.

2023 Road Materials and Pavement Design 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive approach to national tire wear emissions: Challenges and implications

Researchers developed a comprehensive approach to estimate national tire wear emissions, which are a major source of microplastics in the environment. They found that increasing vehicle weight due to electrification trends and growing traffic volumes are driving higher emissions, while no regulations currently exist for tire wear. The study provides methods needed for tracking changes in tire-related microplastic pollution and supporting future environmental impact assessments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Are vehicle tires major contributors to microplastic emissions into the China seas? A simple model perspective

Researchers developed a model to estimate annual microplastic emissions from vehicle tires into China's marine environment. The study suggests that tire wear particles represent a substantial but often overlooked source of marine microplastics, with transport and fate varying significantly based on physical and chemical properties of the particles.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

On-Road Vehicle Measurement of Tire Wear Particle Emissions and Approach for Emission Prediction

An instrumented measurement vehicle was developed to quantify tire wear particle emissions under real-world on-road conditions, identifying key driving parameters such as speed, load, and cornering that govern emission rates. The study supports the development of emission factors and regulatory standards for non-exhaust tire-derived microplastic pollution.

2022 Tire Science and Technology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Tyre wear particles: an abundant yet widely unreported microplastic?

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.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire Wear and Pollutants: An Overview of Research

This review provides an overview of tire road and wear particles as a major source of microplastic emissions, examining both experimental and mathematical approaches to measuring tire wear. The study notes that while tire wear particles are found in alarming amounts across various environments, they remain less studied than other microplastics, and calls for more accurate simulation models to predict tire wear emissions.

2023 Archives of Advanced Engineering Science 30 citations
Article Tier 2

An estimation of tire and road wear particles emissions in surface water based on a conceptual framework

Researchers developed a conceptual framework to estimate emissions of tire and road wear particles (TRWPs) into surface water, identifying them as a dominant source of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments globally.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing regional emissions of vehicle-based tire wear particle from macro-to micro/nano-scales with pandemic lockdowns and electromobility scenarios implications

Researchers developed a data-driven probabilistic model to estimate regional tire wear particle emissions across different land use scenarios, incorporating vehicle fleet data, driving patterns, and emission factors. Modeling suggested that tire wear particles represent a substantial and underappreciated pathway for microplastic entry into the atmosphere, with implications for both human health and environmental policy.

2022 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental occurrence, fate, impact, and potential solution of tire microplastics: Similarities and differences with tire wear particles

This review examines tire microplastics, one of the most abundant types of microplastics in the environment, which come from tire wear on roads, recycled tire rubber, and tire repair dust. These particles carry a complex mix of chemicals including heavy metals and organic pollutants that can harm aquatic and soil organisms. Since tire microplastics end up in waterways and soil near roads, they represent a significant but often overlooked source of human microplastic exposure.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 259 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics from tyre and road wear A literature review

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.

2020 KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Wheels of Contamination: Car tire microplastics from source to sea

Researchers traced the pathway of car tire microplastics from their origin on road surfaces through environmental transport routes to marine deposition, estimating that over 55 million kilograms of tire wear particles enter aquatic environments annually. The study synthesized evidence on emission rates, transport mechanisms, and ecological risks associated with tire-derived microplastics reaching the sea.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Methods for laboratory-generation and physico-chemical characterisation of tyre wear particles

Researchers developed a lab method to generate tire wear particles using a friction machine and then identified a suite of chemical compounds that could serve as reliable markers for detecting these particles in environmental samples. Tire wear is one of the largest single sources of microplastic pollution globally, yet quantifying it in the environment has been hampered by the lack of agreed marker compounds. This work lays groundwork for standardized monitoring of tire particle pollution in soils and waterways.

2024 Detritus 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Swedish sources and pathways for microplastics to the marine environment

Researchers reviewed Swedish sources and transport pathways of microplastics to the marine environment, identifying road tire wear and abrasion as the dominant emission source at approximately 13,000 tonnes per year, with stormwater, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition as primary pathways to aquatic systems.

2016 KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Measures to reduce the spread of microplastic particles from tyre wear : On vehicles, on the road and in the roadside environment

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.

2025 KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
Article Tier 2

Pollution from Transport: Detection of Tyre Particles in Environmental Samples

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.

2022 Energies 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and tyre wear particles at a highway: a case study from Norway

Researchers monitored microplastics and tire wear particles (tiny rubber fragments shed by vehicles) in air, road runoff, and road dust along a busy Norwegian highway, finding the highest concentrations in road dust and the lowest in air. The study demonstrates that traffic is a major source of microplastic pollution across multiple environmental pathways.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
Article Tier 2

Wear and Tear of Tyres: A Stealthy Source of Microplastics in the Environment

This paper compiles existing knowledge on tire wear as a major but often overlooked source of microplastics, estimating global per-person emissions at about 0.8 kilograms per year. Tire particles enter waterways, air, and soil, with an estimated 5-10% of ocean plastic pollution originating from tire wear. The study calls for increased awareness and creative solutions to address this stealthy yet substantial contributor to microplastic contamination.

2017 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 1428 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental risks of car tire microplastic particles and other road runoff pollutants

Researchers conducted the first comprehensive environmental risk assessment of tire wear microplastic particles and their associated chemical pollutants in European road runoff. They found that tire wear particles and several related chemicals pose measurable risks to organisms in surface water and sediment. The study suggests that tire wear is a significant but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution with real consequences for aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical Investigation of Tire Induced Particle Emissions

This automotive engineering study measured the size distribution of fine dust particles (under 10 micrometers) generated by tire wear, finding that tire-derived particles represent a significant non-exhaust source of urban particulate matter. As electric vehicle adoption reduces exhaust emissions, tire and brake wear particles will become a proportionally larger component of urban air pollution. These tire wear particles are also a major source of microplastic contamination in road runoff.

2021 1 citations