Tire plastic and road-wear particles on Yujing Expressway in the restoration area of Mu Us Sandy Land: Occurrence characteristics and ecological risk screening

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2024-04, Vol.468, p.133860-133860, Article 133860
• Main Authors: Xiao, Na, Wang, Yanhua, Guo, Ziyi, Shao, Tianjie, Dong, Zhibao, Xing, Baoshan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Expressway; Occurrence characteristics; Risk screening; Service area; Tire plastic and road-wear particles
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133860

Tire plastic and road-wear particles (TPR-WP) are a current research priority as one of the main environmental sources of microplastics. We selected a unique land use type - desert restoration area, collected soil and dust samples from the Yujing Expressway and its service areas, and analyzed TPR-WP abundance, type, size and morphology by laser direct infrared (LDIR). The abundance of TPR-WP in expressway dust (14,446.87 ± 10,234.24 n/kg) was higher than that in soil (7500 ± 3253.64 n/kg). Random forest model showed that the source of TPR-WP was highly correlated with economic factors and natural climate. Overall, the proportion of small and medium-sized TPR-WP in dust was higher than soil, more than half of the TPR-WP in dust were in 20 - 50 µm range. The proportion of small particle size TPR-WP increased with the rise of elevation. The pollution load index suggested that the survey region was generally at level I risk zone, while the ecological risk index indicated that the pollution level of expressway was III and IV, and the service area was IV. In general, the study was of great significance for clarifying the distribution and risk of TPR-WP in soil and dust of expressways and service areas. [Display omitted] •The average abundance of tire plastic and road-wear particles in dust of Yujing Expressway was higher than that in soil.•The proportion of tire plastic and road-wear particles with small particle size increased with the rise of elevation.•GDP contributed the most to the abundance of tire plastic and road-wear particles in soil and dust of Yujing Expressway.•The pollution load index of dust was generally greater than that of soil, while the ecological risk index was the opposite.