Tire debris in the environment: preliminary results about characterisation, identification and process analysis

Work outlined herewith aims at identifying rubber particles from treadwear among airborne particulate matter and in soil samples. To this purpose, morphological, microanalytical and chemical characterisation techniques are applied, which include fractal analysis of particle contours, X-ray elemental maps, and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The first results are presented. In detail: 1) the fractal dimension of a rubber particle contour seems to depend on abrasion conditions; 2) airborne rubber particles from samples collected during skid-braking tests of a passenger car are detected and sized; 3) elemental microanalysis detects tread rubber debris in soil samples. As a by-product of characterisation, the representative elementary volume of a compounded elastomer is estimated.