Papers

61,005 results
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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

Characterisation and spatial distribution of tyre wear particles in Swedish highway snow: Loads into roadside ditches and risk of emissions with snowmelt

Researchers measured tire wear particles (TWPs) — a major but underappreciated source of microplastic pollution — in snow alongside a Swedish highway and found concentrations up to 1,300 mg/L, with particles decreasing in concentration farther from the road. Because large amounts of TWPs can be rapidly released into waterways when snow melts, the study calls for better snow management practices to prevent this pulse of microplastic contamination.

2025 Environmental Challenges 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of tire and road wear particles in urban and peri-urban snowbanks, and their potential environmental implications

Researchers analyzed urban and peri-urban snowbanks in Norway and found significant concentrations of tire and road wear particles, confirming roads as a major source of microplastic pollution. The study is among the first to measure mass concentrations of these particles in snow, providing important data on how they accumulate and are transported in cold climates. The findings suggest that snowmelt may carry substantial loads of tire-derived microplastics into waterways each spring.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 103 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

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

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)
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

Identification, classification and quantification of microplastics in road dust and stormwater

Researchers identified and quantified microplastics in road dust and stormwater, finding significantly higher concentrations in industrial areas compared to residential zones, with tire wear particles and polyethylene fragments being the most common types.

2022 Chemosphere 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Traffic Intensity as a Factor Influencing Microplastic and Tire Wear Particle Pollution in Snow Accumulated on Urban Roads

A study in a medium-sized Polish city found microplastics and tire wear particles at all 53 road sites examined, with concentrations in road snow scaling strongly with traffic volume — from roughly 62 particles per liter on quiet streets to nearly 793 on heavy-traffic roads. Snow acts as a temporary reservoir, concentrating these particles through winter before releasing them in large pulses into rivers and streams during spring melt. The findings suggest that reducing traffic speeds, sweeping roads regularly, and installing stormwater filters are practical measures to limit urban microplastic runoff.

2024 Preprints.org 3 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

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

Traffic Intensity as a Factor Influencing Microplastic and Tire Wear Particle Pollution in Snow Accumulated on Urban Roads

This study examined how traffic volume influences microplastic and tire wear particle (TWP) concentrations in snow accumulated on urban roads in a medium-sized Polish city. Higher traffic intensity corresponded with significantly greater microplastic and TWP concentrations, confirming roads as major point sources of synthetic particle pollution in urban snowpack.

2024 Water 7 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 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

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
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

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

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

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

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

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

Is road pavement wear a source of microplastics in stormwater runoff?

This study investigated whether road pavement wear is a measurable source of microplastics in stormwater runoff, distinct from the better-characterized tire wear contribution. Pavement-derived particles were identified in stormwater samples, confirming that road surface material itself contributes to microplastic loading in urban runoff alongside tire wear and other sources.

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

Global emission, atmospheric transport and deposition trends of microplastics originating from road traffic

This modeling study estimated global emissions, atmospheric transport, and deposition of microplastics from road traffic sources, finding that road-derived microplastics are transported long distances by wind and deposited in remote locations including the Arctic. The findings quantify roads as a globally important source of atmospheric microplastic pollution.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and tyre wear particles in urban runoff from different urban surfaces

Researchers measured microplastics and tire wear particles in stormwater runoff from roads, parking lots, and rooftops in Sweden. They found that road runoff carried the highest concentrations by far, with large variations between rainfall events. The findings highlight urban roads as a major source of microplastic pollution entering nearby waterways through stormwater.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations