New
New technology to capture dust particles from tires
13. 04. 2023
Mobility
A group of university students has developed a way to capture harmful tire dust, a major air and water pollutant. More than a million tons of tire particles are produced in Europe each year, a problem that is getting worse as the weight and torque of electric vehicles increase.
PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter, which are 10 micrometers or smaller and 2.5 micrometers or smaller, respectively, are considered harmful to human health. One of the main ways these particulate matter pose a threat to human health is through their ability to penetrate the respiratory tract. PM10 particles can lodge in the upper respiratory tract, such as the nose, throat, and pharynx. However, PM2.5 particles are small enough to penetrate deeper into the lower respiratory tract, including the bronchi and alveoli of the lungs. These particles can cause irritation of the mucous membranes, increased mucus production, and worsening of respiratory symptoms in people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory diseases.
In addition, these dust particles can be a source of various toxic substances, such as heavy metals, organic substances and other pollutants, which can bind to the surface of the particles and be inhaled into the lungs along with the dust particles. These toxic substances can have serious negative effects on human health, including damage to lung tissue, inflammation, which can increase the risk of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, as well as other diseases, including cancer.
New EU standards for motor vehicles will also include pollutants produced by the wear of brakes and tires. However, a British startup, The Tire Collective, is already working on a solution to this problem. It has created a device that attaches to a car tire and uses electrostatics and the air flow from a rotating wheel to collect dust particles as they are formed. The collected particles can be recycled and processed into another type of rubber, which has other uses.
The prototype device, tested in collaboration with London-based logistics company Zhero, successfully captured more than 60 percent of tire wear particles over a three-month period, including fine metal particles under 10 microns in size that are highly harmful to human health and the environment. The achievement marks a major milestone for the startup, which plans to build a larger, longer-term trial of the technology later this year.
