Where does the rubber from worn tires go?

As an important part of the car, tires need regular inspection and maintenance, and must be replaced when they reach the wear limit. Moreover, many car owners tend to prefer tires with good wear resistance when purchasing tires, but wear resistance will also cause wear. Where did the worn rubber of the entire tire go? Has the world evaporated? The number of cars in our country reaches 260 million, and the number of tires must be at least four times that. Although the worn part of the tire is almost negligible compared to the entire tire, it is not worth the huge overall number. The total number of worn rubber Also very objective. So does this worn rubber have any impact on the environment?
1. Adsorbed by the road
The rubber material is relatively soft, and high-speed friction with the ground will generate heat, causing the rubber to shrink and the tires to wear out. If the ground temperature is too high, the rubber will be firmly adsorbed by the road surface. This is why the road surface in places with many vehicles is darker, and sudden braking will leave dark car marks.
2. Turned into smog
Rubber will wear when it comes into contact with the ground. The worn rubber will turn into rubber dust. Such dust cannot be seen with the naked eye. Even if it is inhaled into the lungs, we will not feel any discomfort in the short term. Over time, we will not feel any discomfort. , will we become rubber lungs?
In fact, there are many speculations and opinions 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 wear rubber is getting more and more in-depth. As micro rubber , they are found mainly in soil and water, and to some extent in the air. Researchers from the Environmental Management Agency (Empa) have calculated that there are not a lot of these particles at all. Researchers have now calculated that around 200,000 tonnes of microscopic rubber have accumulated in our environment over the past 30 years. You must know that 200,000 tons is not a small amount, but the main thing is to see whether it has an impact on the environment.
The wear and tear of tires on the road can cause microscopic rubber particles to slide onto the road or spin into the air. On average, a car loses approximately 10% to 30% of its tread rubber over its lifetime. According to relevant studies, this type of micro-rubber caused by tire wear accounts for 97% of all micro-rubber in the environment, with the remainder caused by artificial turf.
About 75% of tire particles remain within 5 meters of the roadside, while nearly 20% enter water bodies and the remaining 5% enter soil. According to the researchers, in terms of surface water pollution, rubber from tires can enter the surface in several ways. Half of the rubber from worn tires enters the sewer system, and 34% of this passes through sewage treatment plants without being removed. , thus flowing into water bodies. According to previous experiments and research, this has a relatively small impact on humans. Among all the dust particles inhaled by humans on traffic roads, the proportion of tire wear only accounts for single digits. Since 2000, efforts to prevent water and soil pollution have been stepped up, which means that some micro-rubber can be removed by wastewater treatment plants.