Black and green

Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) are the most dominant source of microplastic emission to the environment. Owing to their transport over short distances by air and runoff water from road surfaces, TRWP can reach agricultural soils adjacent to roads and endanger soil fertility and sustainable food production. Until now, research on potential hazardous effects of TRWP on the soil-plant system has been carried out by applying artificially produced tire wear particles (e.g., by grinding tires), mostly in experiments with short growing periods (several weeks). In contrast, real-world TRWP in soils are not only a mixture of different ages, surfaces and shapes, but also include the adherent road wear particles. In the Black and Green project we will perform growth experiments with extracted real-world TRWP over whole plant growth periods. Furthermore we will investigate the leaching of certain chemicals and trace metals, as well as the potential sorption of macronutrients.