Papers

61,005 results
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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 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

Microplastics and tyre wear particles infiltration in the soil of a roadside biofiltration swale

Researchers investigated the infiltration of microplastics and tyre wear particles into soil along a roadside biofiltration swale, assessing the extent to which these particles migrate from the road surface into subsurface soils under real-world conditions.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Quantifying pathways of tyre wear into the environment.

Researchers conducted the first national-scale spatial analysis of tyre wear particle (TWP) pathways in the UK, estimating that 79.5 kilotonnes of TWPs are released annually with 23-34 kt reaching surface waters, 18.5-30.2 kt deposited on roadsides, and 1.3-6.7 kt entering the atmosphere.

2025 Environmental research
Article Tier 2

Impregnation levels and gradient of tire wear particle content of surface soils adjacent to a major road

Researchers assessed the impregnation levels and spatial gradient of tire and road wear particle (TRWP) contamination in surface soils adjacent to a major road, investigating how proximity to the road surface affects the degree of microplastic loading in roadside soil profiles. The results showed significant TRWP concentrations in soils closest to the road, with contamination gradients extending laterally into adjacent land, confirming roadside soils as durable repositories of tyre-derived microplastics.

2024 Open MIND
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

Determination of tire wear markers in soil samples and their distribution in a roadside soil

Researchers developed a thermal extraction method to measure tire wear particles in roadside soil, finding concentrations up to 15,898 mg/kg with most particles accumulating in the topsoil within 2 meters of the road surface.

2022 Chemosphere 105 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

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

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

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

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

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

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
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

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

Features of the highway road network that generate or retain tyre wear particles

This study analyzed highway road network features that contribute to tyre wear particle generation and retention, finding that road curvature, gradient, and surface texture are key factors influencing where tyre-derived microplastics accumulate along road corridors.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Tyre Wear Particles: Emissions and Distribution in Soil and Stormwater Systems in Near Road Environments

Researchers conducted a multi-scale investigation of tyre wear particle emissions in Sweden, characterizing their distribution in roadside ditches and stormwater systems and developing a national emissions estimation methodology using vehicle-specific factors. Passenger cars were identified as the largest contributor at 55% of total tyre wear particle emissions, and the study evaluated the effectiveness of selected mitigation strategies.

2025
Article Tier 2

Tracks of travel: unveiling tire particle concentrations in Swiss cantonal road soils

Researchers quantified tire wear particle concentrations in roadside soils along fifteen Swiss cantonal roads with relatively low traffic volumes. They found average concentrations of 111,000 particles per kilogram of dry soil, with particle counts and sizes decreasing with increasing distance from the road. The study also found positive relationships between tire wear particle numbers and associated pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace metals.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 5 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

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

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

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