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Rubber pollution

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rubber Pollution
LocationGlobal
CauseImproper disposal of rubber products
ParticipantsVarious environmental organizations

Rubber pollution, similar to plastic pollution, occurs in various environments, and originates from a variety of sources, ranging from the food industry processing chain to tire wear.[1][2] Synthetic and natural rubber dust and fragments now occur in food, airborne as particulates in air pollution, hidden in the earth as soil pollution, and in waterways, lakes and the sea.[3]

Causes

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See also: Non-exhaust emissions

Tire wear is a major source of rubber pollution,[4][5][6] other sources can be from artificial turf[7](usually made from shredded old tires)[8] and rubber O-rings and seals.[1] Tire wear particles (TWP) are a direct result of the road surface abrasion during vehicle transit and are thought to be released into the environment at a rate of 6 million tons year,[9] with the United States and the European Union emitting roughly 1120,000 and 1327,000 tons annually.[10] Both brand and season application affect the tire composition but rubber is usually the main component besides several additives such as, oils, fillers, vulcanisation chemicals and other chemicals added to increase performance.[10][9][8] A concern is that, unlike exhaust emissions, tire wear pollution is not regulated,[6] despite several studies documenting their potential toxicity.[10] Some devices are nonetheless being developed in an effort to reduce the amount of particulates expelled from tire wear and otherwise ending up in the environment.[11][12][13] Although not immediately visible to the naked eye, tire dust makes up a significant portion of road debris.[14][15]

It is believed that between 10 and 18 percent of the TWP released each year enter aquatic environments and can even be found in remote locations due to atmospheric transportation.[10][9] However, it has been found that sediments are sinks for TWP and that the surface water concentration of these particles is much lower.[8][9] Understanding the effect of these particles is challenging as the chemical leaching rate from TWP depends on environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and salinity, as well as the particle size and composition of TWP.[10][8]

Classification

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Very fine rubber dust particles can, depending on the classification be counted as microplastic (because rubber is just another polymer) or separately, as fine rubber because its constituent monomers, the required additives, and the type of chemical bond mesh is slightly different. In a similar vein, rubber pollution is often implicitly mentioned when plastic pollution is addressed.

6PPD-quinone, an antiozonant used in rubber tires, has been found to kill salmon when it accumulates into waterways from tire wear pollution.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Leeuw, Sarah de (2017-06-23). "Prevent Rubber Contamination in Food Processing Environments". Process Industry Informer. Retrieved 2019-07-23. [2016] there was a significant increase in the number of recorded recalls of food products contaminated with rubber, a 22% surge compared to 2015. (Source: US market, Food Safety Magazine)
  2. ^ Tamis, Jacqueline E.; Koelmans, Albert A.; Dröge, Rianne; Kaag, Nicolaas H. B. M.; Keur, Marinus C.; Tromp, Peter C.; Jongbloed, Ruud H. (2021-07-02). "Environmental risks of car tire microplastic particles and other road runoff pollutants". Microplastics and Nanoplastics. 1 (1): 10. doi:10.1186/s43591-021-00008-w. ISSN 2662-4966. S2CID 237303583.
  3. ^ Baensch-Baltruschat, Beate; Kocher, Birgit; Stock, Friederike; Reifferscheid, Georg (2020). "Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) - A review of generation, properties, emissions, human health risk, ecotoxicity, and fate in the environment". Science of the Total Environment. 733: 137823. Bibcode:2020ScTEn.73337823B. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137823. PMID 32422457. S2CID 216385897.
  4. ^ "Pollution warning over car tyre and brake dust". BBC News. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18.
  5. ^ a b Emissions Analytics finds pollution from tire wear can be 1,000x worse than exhaust emissions
  6. ^ "Artificial turf may have health drawbacks". KPCNews. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  7. ^ a b c d Redondo-Hasselerharm, Paula E.; de Ruijter, Vera N.; Mintenig, Svenja M.; Verschoor, Anja; Koelmans, Albert A. (2018-12-04). "Ingestion and Chronic Effects of Car Tire Tread Particles on Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates". Environmental Science & Technology. 52 (23): 13986–13994. doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b05035. ISSN 0013-936X. PMC 6284208. PMID 30407008.
  8. ^ a b c d Carrasco-Navarro, Victor; Nuutinen, Aino; Sorvari, Jouni; Kukkonen, Jussi V. K. (2022-02-01). "Toxicity of Tire Rubber Microplastics to Freshwater Sediment Organisms". Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 82 (2): 180–190. doi:10.1007/s00244-021-00905-4. ISSN 1432-0703. PMC 8818004. PMID 34928416.
  9. ^ a b c d e Roubeau Dumont, E.; Gao, X.; Zheng, J.; Macairan, J.; Hernandez, L. M.; Baesu, A.; Bayen, S.; Robinson, S. A.; Ghoshal, S.; Tufenkji, N. (2023-07-05). "Unraveling the toxicity of tire wear contamination in three freshwater species: From chemical mixture to nanoparticles". Journal of Hazardous Materials. 453: 131402. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131402. ISSN 0304-3894.
  10. ^ STUDENT'S INVENTION TO STOP MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION WINS DYSON AWARD
  11. ^ The Tyre Collective at Dyson
  12. ^ The Tyre Collective website
  13. ^ Theodoros Grigoratos and Giorgio Martini (2014). "Non-exhaust traffic related emissions. Brake and tyre wear PM" (PDF). European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute of Energy and Transport. It is estimated that an average passenger vehicle tyre lasts for 40,000-50,000 km before it is worn out, with approximately 10-30% of its tread rubber emitted into the environment. ... A wide range of chemicals can be found in vehicle tyres, depending on required performance standards and the manufacturing company. It has been reported that a common-sized all season passenger commercial tyre contains approximately 30 kinds of synthetic rubber, 8 kinds of natural rubber, 8 kinds of carbon black, steel cord for belts, polyester and nylon fibre, steel bead wire and 40 different chemicals, waxes, oils, pigments, silica and clays.
  14. ^ Kole, Pieter Jan; Löhr, Ansje J.; Van Belleghem, Frank; Ragas, Ad (2017-10-20). "Wear and Tear of Tyres: A Stealthy Source of Microplastics in the Environment". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 14 (10). MDPI AG: 1265. doi:10.3390/ijerph14101265. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 5664766. PMID 29053641. Wear and tear from tyres significantly contributes to the flow of (micro-)plastics into the environment. ... The estimated per capita emission ranges from 0.23 to 4.7 kg/year, with a global average of 0.81 kg/year.
  15. ^ "Tire dust killing coho salmon returning to Puget Sound, new research shows". The Seattle Times.
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