Concentrations of tire wear microplastics and other traffic-derived non-exhaust particles in the road environment
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2022

Tire wear particles (TWP) are assumed to be one of the major sources of microplastic pollution to the environment. However, many of the previously published studies are based on theoretical estimations rather than field measurements. To increase the knowledge regarding actual environmental concentrations, samples were collected and analyzed from different matrices in a rural highway environment to characterize and quantify TWP and other traffic-derived non-exhaust particles. The sampled matrices included road dust (from kerb and in-between wheeltracks), runoff (water and sediment), and air. In addition, airborne deposition was determined in a transect with increasing distance from the road. Two sieved size fractions (2–20 µm and 20–125 µm) were analyzed by automated Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) single particle analysis and classified with a machine learning algorithm into the following subclasses: TWP, bitumen wear particles (BiWP), road markings, reflecting glass beads, metals, minerals, and biogenic/organic particles. The relative particle number concentrations (%) showed that the runoff contained the highest proportion of TWP (up to 38 %). The share of TWP in kerb samples tended to be higher than BiWP. However, a seasonal increase of BiWP was observed in coarse (20–125 µm) kerb samples during winter, most likely reflecting studded tire use. The concentration of the particle subclasses within airborne PM80-1 decreases with increasing distance from the road, evidencing road traffic as the main emission source. The results confirm that road dust and the surrounding environment contain traffic-derived microplastics in both size fractions. The finer fraction (2–20 µm) dominated (by mass, volume, and number) in all sample matrices. These particles have a high potential to be transported in water and air far away from the source and can contribute to the inhalable particle fraction (PM10) in air. This highlights the importance of including also finer particle fractions in future investigations.

TRWP

Bitumen particles

Road markings

SEM/EDX

Metal particles

Microplastics

Machine learning

Författare

Ida Järlskog

Statens Väg- och Transportforskningsinstitut (VTI)

Chalmers, Arkitektur och samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Geologi och geoteknik

David Jaramillo-Vogel

Particle Vision GmbH

Juanita Rausch

Particle Vision GmbH

Mats Gustafsson

Statens Väg- och Transportforskningsinstitut (VTI)

Ann-Margret Hvitt Strömvall

Chalmers, Arkitektur och samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Vatten Miljö Teknik

Yvonne Andersson-Sköld

Chalmers, Arkitektur och samhällsbyggnadsteknik

Statens Väg- och Transportforskningsinstitut (VTI)

Environment International

0160-4120 (ISSN) 1873-6750 (eISSN)

Vol. 170 107618

Belastning och lösningar för trafikrelaterade persistenta organiska föroreningar (POP) och mikro/nanoplaster

Statens Väg- och Transportforskningsinstitut (VTI), 2019-01-01 -- 2021-12-31.

Formas (2017-00720), 2019-01-01 -- 2021-12-31.

Ämneskategorier

Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning

Geokemi

Miljövetenskap

DOI

10.1016/j.envint.2022.107618

PubMed

36356554

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2023-10-27