Degradation rates and ageing effects of UV on tyre and road wear particles
article
Tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) are estimated to be the largest source of microplastics in the environment and due to the intrinsic use of tyres in our society this will continue to grow. Understanding their degradation mechanisms and subsequent accumulation over time is important to gain insights into the fate and impact of these particles in the environment. Accelerated UV-ageing was performed on cryomilled tyre tread particles and TRWPs from a road simulator to investigate the abiotic degradation of rubber. Degradation was followed with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) that led to an average abiotic degradation rate of 0.025 day− 1 when corrected for the acceleration factor. Static light scattering (SLS) showed that during degradation, the average particle size reduced by 0.03 μm day− 1 and smaller particles TRWP particle sizes and accumulation times were studied, confirming the experimentally determined degra dation.
TNO Identifier
1006206
Source
Chemosphere, 372, pp. 1-11.
Pages
1-11