Passive Sampling for tyre chemical measurement in water.
Summer Studentship Report 2024.
By Sam Walker and Bruce Petrie- Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
Tyre wear is a major source of microplastics to the aquatic environment. There are now concerns that additive chemicals which leach from tyres into water pose a significant risk to aquatic organisms. A recent study in China found 11 of 23 additive chemicals displayed mid to high ecological risks in surface water [1]. The vulcanization agent 1,3-diphenylguanidine was found at a maximum concentration of 59 µg L-1.1 Stormwater from newly constructed roads in the UK is treated by sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) such as retention ponds. These enable the settling of particulate matter before water is discharged to a nearby water course. However, there is a lack of information on the fate of additive chemicals in SuDS due to the lack of appropriate sampling methods for their monitoring. Only limited information can be obtained by grab or spot sampling which provides a ‘snapshot’ of pollutant concentration. Therefore, sampling methods need developed that can obtain average additive chemical concentrations for longer time periods (e.g. several days to weeks). Passive sampling, which relies on the diffusion of chemicals from the water phase onto an adsorbent material [2], is a suitable method for this purpose but needs optimised for tyre additive chemicals. Therefore, the aim of this ChromSoc summer studentship was to develop a passive sampling method for monitoring tyre additive chemicals in environmental waters.
ChromSoc/BMSS Summer Studentship program information.
