Papers

61,005 results
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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
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

Analytical challenges and possibilities for the quantification of tire-road wear particles

This review examines the analytical challenges involved in measuring tire-road wear particles, one of the largest sources of microplastic emissions. Researchers cataloged the wide range of methods used to detect and quantify these particles, noting that their varied size, shape, density, and chemical makeup make consistent measurement difficult. The study highlights the need for standardized analytical approaches so that results from different studies can be meaningfully compared.

2023 TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 65 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
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

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 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
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

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
Review Tier 2

Vehicle Emission Models and Traffic Simulators: A Review

This review surveys vehicle emission models and traffic simulation tools used to estimate air pollution from road traffic. While focused on exhaust emissions, the methods discussed are relevant to understanding non-exhaust pollution like tire wear microplastics, which are released in large quantities from vehicle tires. Better emission modeling could help quantify the full scope of traffic-related microplastic pollution in urban areas.

2023 Energies 41 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
Review Tier 2

Risk assessment of tire wear in the environment – a literature review

This review assesses the environmental risks of tire wear emissions, which release microplastic-like particles containing polymers and potentially toxic chemicals into water and soil. While initial risk estimates suggest low risk from the particulate emissions themselves, the chemicals that leach from tire particles remain poorly characterized. The findings are relevant to human health because tire wear is one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution, and the leached chemicals may enter drinking water.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Vehicle Tire and Road Wear Particles’ Size Distribution and Influencing Factors Examined via Laboratory Test

Researchers conducted laboratory tests to characterize the size distribution of tire and road wear particles under various conditions. The study found that factors such as driving speed, tire composition, and road surface characteristics significantly influence the size and quantity of wear particles released, which are a growing source of microplastic pollution.

2024 Atmosphere 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Realistic evaluation of tire wear particle emissions and their driving factors on different road types

This study measured tire wear particle (TWP) emissions under realistic driving conditions on different road types and identified the key driving factors affecting emission rates. Tire wear particles are a major category of microplastic pollution in road runoff, and this data is needed to estimate their contribution to environmental contamination.

2023
Article Tier 2

Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) - A review of generation, properties, emissions, human health risk, ecotoxicity, and fate in the environment

This comprehensive review compiles current knowledge on tyre and road wear particles, which are generated during driving and contribute to both airborne emissions and microplastic pollution. Researchers found that per-capita tyre wear emissions range from 0.2 to 5.5 kilograms per person per year, with particles ending up in soils, waterways, and the air. While the risk from inhaling these particles appears low, the potential health effects from ingesting them through the food chain remain largely unknown.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 723 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

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

Tyre and road wear particles - A calculation of generation, transport and release to water and soil with special regard to German roads

This study calculated that German roads generate 75,000 to 98,000 tons of tire and road wear particles annually, with a significant portion reaching surface waters and roadside soils. The findings highlight tire wear as a major but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution requiring better data and management strategies.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 244 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire wear particles in different water environments: occurrence, behavior, and biological effects—a review and perspectives

This review examines tire wear particles, a major but often overlooked source of microplastics in water environments. Tire particles release toxic chemicals as they break down in water and can harm aquatic organisms, but most research has focused only on the chemical leachate rather than the particles themselves. Since tire wear contributes a large share of total microplastic pollution, understanding its full impact on water ecosystems and the food chain is important for human health.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 39 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A review of rubber tyre derived micro- and nanoplastics: fate, impact and risks

This systematic review examines microplastics generated from rubber tire wear, which are a major but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution. Tire particles spread through air, stormwater, and wastewater to contaminate both land and water. This is an important human health concern because tire-derived microplastics contain toxic chemicals and are found in the air people breathe and the water they drink.

2025 Environmental Geotechnics 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Wheels of Contamination: Car tire microplastics from source to sea

Researchers traced car tyre microplastics from their generation through environmental transport pathways to eventual deposition in the sea, estimating that more than 55% of tyre-wear particles enter aquatic environments via runoff and atmospheric transport. The study synthesised existing data on tyre microplastic sources, emission rates, and fate to map the full contamination pathway from road surfaces to ocean ecosystems.

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

Dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of rubber release from tires into the environment

A dynamic material flow analysis model estimated the annual and cumulative release of rubber from vehicle tires into the environment via road wear, finding that tire rubber represents a substantial fraction of total microplastic pollution in terrestrial and aquatic systems. The study helps quantify this important but often overlooked microplastic source.

2019 Environmental Pollution 184 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

Tyre Wear Particles in the Environment: Sources, Toxicity, and Remediation Approaches

This review examines tire wear particles, which account for a major share of global microplastic pollution with 1.3 million metric tons released annually in Europe alone. These rubber-based particles contain heavy metals and toxic organic chemicals that contaminate air, water, and soil, and human exposure occurs through inhaling dust, eating contaminated food, and drinking water, raising concerns about respiratory, cardiovascular, and cancer risks.

2025 Sustainability 19 citations