The Influence of Road Vehicle Tyre Wear on Microplastics in a High-Traffic University for Sustainable Transportation

IF 7.6 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2024-12-17 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125536

Hülya Aykaç Özen, Tuğba Mutuk

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Abstract

Road-associated microplastics, originating from tire wear and fragmented litter, are significant contributors to microplastic pollution. This study examines the characteristics of these particles within a university, focusing on their size, shape, color, and polymer composition. Suspended microplastics were collected using portable active samplers for PM₁₀ and results have shown that PM₁₀ concentrations peaked on Thursdays and declined, reaching their lowest levels on Sundays, with overall weekend measurements indicating reduced concentrations compared to weekdays. Importantly, the presence of microplastics correlated with increased PM10 levels. These findings highlighted a dominance of irregularly fragmented black microplastics, primarily composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutadiene, influenced mainly by vehicular movement. Additionally, metal contaminants such as aluminum, iron, and zinc were identified through SEM-EDX analysis of selected microplastics, particularly concentrated at the university's main entrance, the area with the highest traffic. This research enhances understanding of atmospheric microplastic pollution in university environments with heavy vehicle traffic and supports efforts to promote sustainable transportation and climate-friendly initiatives.

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.