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Published on: October 18, 2018
Determination of Tire Wear Particle-Type Polymers by Combination of Quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Marcel Günther1, Gizem Kirimlioglu Sayilik1, Wolfgang Imhof1
1Institute of Integrated Natural Sciences, University Koblenz, Universitätsstr. 1, 56070 Koblenz, Germany.
Abstract:
Tire wear particles (TWPs) are among the most relevant sources of microplastic pollution of the environment. Nevertheless, common analytical methods like IR and Raman spectroscopy are highly impaired by additives and filler materials, leaving only thermogravimetric methods for chemical analysis of TWPs in most cases. We herein present quantitative NMR spectroscopy (qNMR) as an alternative tool for the quantification of the polymeric material used for the production of tires, including natural rubber (NR), styrene-butadiene-copolymer (SBR), polyethylene-co-propylene (EPR) and polybutadiene (BR). Limits of quantification (LOQ) between 3 µg and 43 µg per sample and recovery rates of 72-92% were achieved for all tested polymer types. The first results of combining these measurements with Soxhlet extraction as a sample preparation tool are presented alongside the qNMR experiments.
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