TREADS: tyre nanoparticles produced using a bench-top tyre wear simulator

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Tyre wear particles (TPs) are a significant source of microplastic pollution.
• Understanding the toxicology of nano-TPs requires standardized generation methods.
• Existing methods for TPs lack portability and reproducibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Tyre Rubber Emission And Debris System (TREADS) for generating nano-TPs.
• To assess the characteristics and concentration of TPs produced by TREADS.
• To evaluate TREADS' suitability for toxicological assessments.

Main Methods:

• TREADS was used to generate sub-micron tyre wear particles.
• Particle size distribution was analyzed and compared to literature.
• Particle concentration was measured during one-hour test cycles.
• TP characteristics (shape, temperature) were observed.

Main Results:

• TREADS produced high concentrations of sub-micron TPs (2-6 × 10^6 cm^-3).
• Particle size distribution matched established nano-TP literature.
• Particles were round, indicative of gas-to-particle conversion at 37-44 °C.
• Consistent particle generation was observed across different tyres.

Conclusions:

• TREADS is a novel, portable, and low-cost system for generating nano-TPs.
• The system provides reproducible and user-friendly nano-TP generation.
• TREADS is suitable for toxicological assessments of nano-TPs without environmental contamination.