Where does the worn rubber of the tire go?

As an important part of the car, the tire needs to be checked and maintained regularly, and it needs to be replaced when it reaches the wear limit. In addition, many car owners tend to prefer tires with good wear resistance when purchasing tires, but wear resistance can also cause wear. Where does the worn rubber of the entire tire go? Did it evaporate? my country has a car ownership of 260 million, and the number of tires is at least four times that. Although the worn part of the tire is almost negligible compared to the entire tire, it is not as large as the overall number, so the total amount of worn rubber is also objective. So does this part of the worn rubber have any impact on the environment?

Tire Business has published relevant content before, one part is absorbed by the road, and the other part becomes haze.

1. Absorbed by the road
The rubber material is soft, and the high-speed friction with the ground will generate heat to shrink the rubber, and the tire will be worn. If the ground temperature is too high, the rubber will be firmly absorbed by the road surface. This is why the road surface is darker in places with many vehicles, and rapid braking will leave dark car marks.

2. It turns into smog
When rubber comes into contact with the ground, it will wear out. The worn rubber will turn into rubber dust. We cannot see such dust with our naked eyes. Even if we inhale it into our lungs, we will not feel or feel uncomfortable in the short term. Over time, will we become rubber lungs?

In fact, there are many speculations and statements about this part, but there has never been an accurate answer. With the development of science and technology and the emphasis on environmental protection, the research on worn rubber is becoming more and more in-depth. As micro rubber, they are mainly found in soil and water, and to a certain extent in the air. Researchers at the Environmental Management Agency (Empa) have calculated that the number of these particles is not small at all. Researchers have now calculated that about 200,000 tons of micro rubber have accumulated in our environment in the past 30 years. You know, 200,000 tons is not a small number, but it mainly depends on whether it has an impact on the environment.

The wear of tires on the road can cause micro rubber particles to slide on the road or fly into the air while spinning. On average, a car loses about 10% to 30% of its tread rubber during its service life. According to relevant research, this type of micro-rubber caused by tire wear accounts for 97% of all micro-rubber in the environment, and the rest is caused by artificial turf.

About 75% of tire particles remain within 5 meters of the roadside, while nearly 20% of the particles enter the water body and the remaining 5% enter the soil. According to researchers, in terms of surface water pollution, rubber in tires can enter the surface through several ways. Half of the rubber from tire wear enters the sewer system, and 34% of it passes through the sewage treatment plant without being removed, so it flows into the water body. According to previous experiments and studies, this has a relatively small impact on humans. Among all the dust particles inhaled by humans on traffic roads, tire wear accounts for only a single digit. Since 2000, the work of preventing water and soil pollution has been stepped up, which means that some micro-rubber can be removed by wastewater treatment plants.

Although data shows that this part of rubber has little impact on the environment, from the perspective of overall environmental protection, many tire companies have committed to green tires.