In its recent publicarion, the European Rubber Jounal informs that the Tire Industry Project (TIP) has published a new study introducing an advanced mass balance model designed to track how tire and road wear particles (TRWP) move through land and freshwater systems, offering a new tool for researchers studying tire-related environmental pathways.

According to TIP, the open-access model simulates the transport of TRWP through watersheds with high spatial detail, allowing researchers to examine how tire wear particles behave across different climates, geographies, and infrastructure systems.

The study found that between 2% and 18% of TRWP may reach surface waters, depending on local conditions such as basin size, urban development, rainfall patterns, and stormwater management systems.

Research focuses on tire particle movement

TRWP are generated during normal tire use as tires interact with road surfaces. Understanding how these particles move through the environment has become an area of growing scientific and regulatory interest, particularly as attention increases around urban runoff and water quality.

TIP said the new model helps address knowledge gaps related to how tire particles travel from roads into drainage systems, rivers, and other freshwater environments.

The model was validated using field data from three river basins in different parts of the world:

  • The Seine in France
  • Chesapeake Bay in the United States
  • The Yodo River in Japan

According to the study, results across these locations suggest the model can be applied across diverse environmental conditions and regional climates.

Stormwater systems may reduce runoff

One of the study’s findings is that improved stormwater infrastructure may significantly reduce the amount of tire wear particles entering surface waters. TIP said infrastructure-based mitigation measures could lower particle flow by as much as 50% in some scenarios.

This highlights how drainage design, filtration systems, and urban water management may play a role in reducing environmental transport pathways linked to tire wear.

Broader implications for sustainability and recycling

Research into tire wear particles is increasingly relevant to the broader tire value chain, including tire recycling, product design, and sustainability initiatives focused on reducing environmental impact across the tire lifecycle.

While TRWP differ from end-of-life tire materials processed through rubber recycling, crumb rubber production, or advanced recovery technologies such as pyrolysis, the findings add to the wider discussion around how tire materials interact with the environment during use, recovery, and disposal.

For the tire industry, improved scientific understanding may help inform future material innovation, infrastructure planning, and lifecycle management strategies connected to recycling and environmental performance.

Open-access model for future research

TIP said the decision to make the model open access is intended to support collaboration across the scientific community and provide a common framework for further research.

The newly released model builds on earlier work and expands its application to a global scale, giving researchers and policymakers a tool to study tire wear particle transport under a broad range of environmental conditions.

As research continues, findings from models like this may contribute to future strategies aimed at improving water management, supporting sustainability, and reducing environmental impacts associated with tire use.