Occurrence and Quantification of Tire Wear Plastics Pollutants from Highway City Dust of Bhubaneswar City of Odisha

In this growing generation, plastic pollution is the major ongoing concern for the organisms that live or are dependent on this ecosystem. Within road dust, microplastics move through the environment via atmospheric transportation and stormwater runoff into waterways. Human exposure pathways to road dust include dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion. Tire wear particles (TWPs) are a major category of microplastic pollution produced by friction between tires and road surfaces. This non-exhaust particulate matter is transported through the air and with runoff leading to environmental pollution and health concerns. This chapter focuses on the presence of microplastics and macroplastics along with tire wear fiber found in highways of Bhubaneswar city. Samples from 25 different locations of Bhubaneswar city were collected from the surface and subsurface of urban highways. The samples were processed for extraction method by sieving and the density separation method for separation of microplastics. We found that 18–23 tire wear plastic pollutants and microplastic were found from 2 gm of extracted dust sample. The collected tire wear plastic pollutants were observed under the digital microscope for visualization of the fibers and microplastic composition. Most of the particles found are fibers and different types of polymers. Macro-sized particles were characterized by the length and breadth of their morphometric parameters. Simultaneously, high tire performance causes major issues with subsequent management and recycling of end-of-life tires. As a result, one of the most pressing environmental concerns of the twenty-first century is the development of new, ecologically friendly, and economically feasible rubber recycling processes.