Online TGA-GCMS: A novel method for detecting tyre wear particles in road dusts Daniel Baqer 1 , Kieran Evans 2 , Patrick Sears 1 , Maya Al Sid-Cheikh 1 1 University of Surrey, UK, 2 PerkinElmer, Beaconsfield, UK The production of tyre wear particles (TWPs) from the abrasion of vehicle tyres on road surfaces has gained worldwide attention as it may be the primary source of microplastic pollution in the environment. However, the current reported experimental data contradicts these estimates of TWP emissions in the environment. This inconsistency may be due to a lack of environmental presence or an inadequacy in detection resulting from a lack of standardization in methodologies and the fact that TWPs do not respond well to conventional microplastic separation and detection techniques. In this study, we propose a method for identifying TWPs in road dust by online coupling of a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) for rapid, high-throughput, and automated analysis. Various thermal degradation products of rubber elastomers were discovered in different car tyre brands, serving as common markers for TWP. Examination of the treads and sidewalls revealed unique rubber compositions that could indicate the origin of the rubber fragments. Additional analyses of road dust samples from two major UK highways and various roads in the London congestion zone verified the presence of TWP. This approach requires minimal to no sample preparation, lowering the risk of sample loss or contamination and reducing data variability among researchers that employ different sample preparation methods.
© The Author(s), 2023
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