Tire and road wear occurs every time you drive your car. An estimated 110,000 tons of it end up on the streets every year in Germany alone in the form of microplastics. From there it spreads into the environment via the wind or is washed by rain via street drains and sewers into soils, rivers and ultimately into the oceans.
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That’s why the TU Berlin, together with the Audi Environmental Foundation, is developing a new filter concept for street drains. These filters can be combined individually depending on the traffic situation and hold back the dirt particles that are produced as close as possible to where they are created – before they are washed into the sewage system by rainwater.
Problem of tire wear and microplastics
Tire abrasion and microplastics represent a massive environmental problem: When cars, trucks and other vehicles drive on roads, the tires wear down and produce small particles called tire abrasion. These particles often contain plastics and other chemical compounds that are released into the environment.
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Some of the tire abrasion ends up on the road surface and is washed into the sewage system by rainwater, from where it can reach bodies of water. Another part is released into the air and can be inhaled or deposited on surfaces.
Microplastic particles, including those from tire wear, have various negative impacts on the environment. They can accumulate in water and soil, affecting water quality and disrupting the food chain when ingested by animals. Additionally, they can enter the human food chain, posing potential health risks.
Reducing tire wear and microplastics is therefore an important environmental goal that can be achieved through various measures such as the development of more environmentally friendly tires, improved road surfaces and more efficient wastewater systems.