TIP introduces model to track tire wear particles in waterways

Geneva, Switzerland — The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has published a new study introducing an "advanced mass balance model” to track and predict the movement of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) through land and freshwater systems.

The model provides a methodology to simulate how TRWP move through watersheds with “high spatial granularity” across different regions and climates, TIP said in a 9 April statement.

Results from the study show that the share of TRWP reaching surface waters ranges from 2% to 18%, depending on factors including basin size, urbanisation, climate and stormwater infrastructure.

The model has been validated using field data from three river basins: the Seine in France, Chesapeake Bay in the US and the Yodo River in Japan, demonstrating its applicability across “diverse climates and regions.”

TIP noted that TRWP remained an “understudied topic,” particularly in terms of their transport through waterways, as regulatory and scientific interest increases.

The study also indicated that improvements in stormwater systems could reduce the flow of particles into surface waters “by up to a half,” highlighting the role of "infrastructure-based mitigation measures."

“Having a robust, reproducible model for TRWP transport and fate that can be applied worldwide is essential for advancing both scientific understanding and practical solutions,” said Nicolas Tissier, TIP’s director of research.

By making the model “open access,” TIP said it aimed to support broader collaboration across the scientific community and enable the development of more effective mitigation strategies.

The newly published model is a refinement of earlier work and extends the modelling approach to “a global scale.”

TIP said the next phase of development is “already underway,” aiming to make the model accessible to users beyond the scientific community.