Ever wonder what happens to tire tread when a car’s tires lose their rubber traction? Research from UBC Okanagan shows that more small pieces of road and tire trash, like microplastics, are getting into lakes and streams. Researchers from the UBCO School of Engineering created a conceptual framework to analyze potential pollution that results from routine vehicle use on roads and highways. According to their research, an area like the Okanagan releases more than 50 tonnes of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) into rivers every year.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Haroon Mian, a postdoctoral research associate at UBC, asserts that “the results are highly substantial.” It’s particularly concerning since this minute waste could contaminate our freshwater sources.
About 1.5 billion tires are produced each year to meet global demand, which results in the production of nearly six million tonnes of tires and road wear particles worldwide. Tires are essential for transportation.
Both vulcanized natural rubber and syntqhetic rubber are regarded as types of elastomeric polymers that contribute to microplastics. Dr. Mian claims that pollution is a problem that extends beyond rubber.
He says that all of these parts will eventually start to break down, which could lead to chemicals that affect aquatic organisms.
The majority of tire and road wear particles are dispersed across roads and eventually end up in aquatic ecosystems, while some of the materials do wind up in the atmosphere. His research showed that nearly 15 tonnes of tire and road wear particles can get into lake surface water every year.
He emphasizes that this is a local issue as well as a global one. According to his local study, hundreds of people pass by lakes like Okanagan and Kalamalka every day as they travel the highways that link the interior communities of British Columbia.
“This investigation was limited to a tiny stretch of highway in the interior of British Columbia, but the results indicate that other parts of Canada may face similar problems with this kind of contamination,” adds Mian. “A more uniform and thorough management and treatment strategy must be set up to reduce the possible effects on the environment.”
As part of his research, Mian also performed a scenario-based assessment to calculate the emissions of road and tire wear while taking into account a number of real-time variables, including seasonal fluctuations and environmental deterioration of the road and tire.
As secondary ways to treat runoff, the research calls for the use of tire pressure monitoring devices, tire wear labels, standardization rules, and wetlands or roadside swales.
The study was published in the most recent issue of Science of the Total Environment. It was paid for by Kal Tire and Mitacs.
