Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The transport of tyre wear particles in rivers, with a focus on settling and resuspension

Researchers investigated the transport, settling, and resuspension behavior of tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) in river systems compared to conventional microplastics, presenting initial characterization data on TRWP density and zeta potential and conducting mesocosm flume experiments to test hypotheses about their differential environmental fate.

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

The transport of tyre wear particles in rivers, with a focus on settling and resuspension

Researchers investigated the transport dynamics of tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) in river systems, with particular focus on settling and resuspension processes in aquatic environments, and explored pathways toward groundwater, addressing a gap in understanding TRWP fate in the environment.

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

Tire and road wear particles contamination in infiltration ponds sediments: occurrence, spatial variability, size distribution and correlation with metals

Researchers examined tire and road wear particle (TRWP) contamination in infiltration pond sediments, characterizing their occurrence, spatial variability, size distribution, and correlation with heavy metals to assess the pollution dynamics of these road-derived particles in urban drainage systems.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Settling Velocities of Tire and Road Wear Particles: Analyzing Finely Graded Density Fractions of Samples from a Road Simulator and a Highway Tunnel.

Researchers measured the terminal settling velocities of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) from a road simulator and highway tunnel across different density and size fractions, providing the first empirical settling velocity data for these particles to support modeling of their transport in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental science & technology
Article Tier 2

Tyre and road wear particles from source to sea

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.

2023 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variation in characteristics of wear microparticles of high density (> 1.8 g cm−3) produced on road

By analyzing road dust across seasons, this study characterized the types and quantities of high-density wear particles (denser than 1.8 g/cm³) produced by traffic, including tire rubber, road paint, glass beads, and plastic particles, with winter generating the most. Dense particles settle out of water quickly, meaning they concentrate in nearby river sediments and could serve as useful tracers for tracking road-sourced pollution.

2024 Heliyon 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire wear particles concentrations in gully pot sediments

Researchers measured tire wear particle (TWP) concentrations in gully pot sediments, developing analytical methods to quantify this major microplastic source in road runoff as it enters urban drainage systems before reaching the broader environment.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Particles in Road Surface Sediments for Analyzing Runoff Behavior of Microplastics

Researchers characterized physical properties — density, shape, and material composition — of particles in road surface sediments and stormwater catchpit deposits in Japan using density-gradient separation, image analysis, and ATR-FTIR, finding that synthetic polymers comprised 40-50% of all particles and were concentrated in high-density fractions with Feret diameters of 500-800 micrometers.

2025 Journal of Japan Society on Water Environment
Article Tier 2

Relevance of tyre wear particles to the total content of microplastics transported by runoff in a high-imperviousness and intense vehicle traffic urban area.

Researchers characterized microplastics and tire wear particles (TWPs) transported by urban stormwater runoff in a highly impervious catchment, finding that TWPs made up a substantial fraction of the total microplastic load in sediments of a stormwater detention reservoir. The study underscores the contribution of road traffic to microplastic pollution entering waterways.

2022 Environmental Pollution 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of fine and coarse tyre wear particles along a highway stormwater system and in receiving waters: Occurrence and transport

Researchers tracked tire wear particles through a highway stormwater drainage system in Sweden and found contamination at nearly every sampling point, with concentrations reaching up to 17 milligrams per liter in water. A significant portion of the particles were very small, in the 1.6 to 20 micrometer range, which are harder to filter out and more likely to travel long distances. The study highlights that tire wear is a major and often overlooked source of microplastic pollution reaching waterways.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle-Associated Contaminant Transport in Rivers during High Discharge Events

Researchers examined suspended river sediments during high discharge events for the presence of anthropogenic particles including microplastics and tyre wear particles, as well as their co-transport with organic pollutants including PFAS and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in an urbanizing catchment context.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Tire Wear Particles in Urban Stormwater: Abundance, Characteristics, and Potential Mitigation Strategies

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in urban stormwater and found levels ranging from about 4 to 59 particles per liter, with tire wear particles making up roughly 95% of all particles detected. Microlitter capture devices reduced microplastic loads by 35 to 88%, and constructed wetlands provided additional removal. The study suggests that targeted stormwater treatment infrastructure could meaningfully reduce the flow of microplastics into rivers and coastal waters.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Classification and Characterization of Tire-Road Wear Particles in Road Dust by Density

Tire-road wear particles were classified and characterized by density using road dust from an asphalt pavement, allowing separation of tire tread-derived particles from road surface and mineral components. The density-based classification approach improves the accuracy of tire wear particle quantification in environmental monitoring studies.

2022 Polymers 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and accumulation patterns of tire-derived particles in coastal and lake sediments

Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) — tiny fragments shed every time a vehicle brakes or turns — are among the largest sources of microplastics globally, and this study found them in sediments across 32 of 36 sampling sites in Japanese lakes and coastal waters. Critically, at 30 of those 36 sites, concentrations exceeded levels considered safe for aquatic ecosystems, suggesting widespread ecological risk. The research also found that TRWP tend to travel with fine soil particles and organic matter, offering clues about how these pollutants disperse through river systems and settle in aquatic environments.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of tire and bitumen wear microplastics on urban streets and in sweepsand and washwater

Tire tread wear and bitumen particles were the dominant anthropogenic microplastics found on urban roads and in sweeping waste and stormwater in a Norwegian study, with concentrations up to 2,561 particles per liter in road dust samples. Street sweeping removed significant quantities of these particles, and sodium iodide density separation proved effective for their analytical isolation.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 266 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire wear particles in the aquatic environment - A review on generation, analysis, occurrence, fate and effects

Researchers reviewed available science on tire wear particles (TWP) — tiny fragments shed from tires during driving — finding that Europe alone generates over 1.3 million tonnes per year, but critical data on environmental concentrations, transport to waterways, and aquatic toxicity remain too limited for robust ecological risk assessment.

2018 Water Research 944 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical mapping of tire and road wear particles for single particle analysis

Tire and road wear particles (TRWP), which contain rubber polymer and pavement material, were chemically mapped using laser ablation-ICP-MS for single particle analysis. The technique enabled characterization of trace element distributions within individual TRWP particles, improving understanding of their environmental fate alongside conventional microplastics.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire road wear particles, microplastics and metals in sediment of stormwater detention basins: co-occurrence and ecological risk assessment

Researchers analyzed sediment from eleven stormwater detention basins in a French metropolitan area to assess contamination by tire wear particles, microplastics, and metals. They found that tire wear particles were consistently more abundant than microplastics across all sites, with industrial areas showing the highest levels at over 20,000 mg per kilogram. The study revealed a significant positive correlation between urban-related metals and both tire wear particles and microplastics, indicating these pollutants share common sources.

2025 Environment International 6 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

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

Types and concentrations of tire wear particles (TWPs) in road dust generated in slow lanes.

Road dust samples collected near traffic lights contained tire wear particles (TWPs), with the concentration and size distribution varying by location and traffic direction. Tire wear is one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution in urban environments, and these particles are carried into waterways by stormwater runoff.

2024 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Tire wear particles in aquatic environments: A systematic review of sources, detection, distribution, and toxicological impacts

This systematic review examined tire wear particles — a type of microplastic created as tires wear down on roads — as an emerging water pollutant. These particles wash into rivers and oceans through stormwater runoff and contain toxic chemicals that harm aquatic organisms. Since tire wear is one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution, this is relevant to anyone living near roads or consuming seafood.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Morphology and mineral encrustations of density-separated tire- and road-wear particles collected in Charleston, South Carolina

Researchers characterized tire- and road-wear particles (TRWPs) collected in Charleston, South Carolina, using density separation and electron microscopy. High-density TRWPs were more elongated than low-density ones, and mineral encrustations from road dust—including calcium, silicon, and iron compounds—were commonly found on particle surfaces.

2025 Polymer Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The Tire Wear Compounds 6PPD-Quinone and 1,3-Diphenylguanidine in an Urban Watershed

Researchers re-analyzed archived water samples from an urban Canadian river and detected the tire-wear chemical 6PPD-quinone at concentrations exceeding the lethal threshold for coho salmon during storm events, confirming that tire-derived contaminants enter urban waterways in kilogram-scale loads during rainfall.

2021 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 264 citations