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Project name: Reifenabrieb - Effekte von Reifenabrieb auf straßennahe Böden und deren Ökosysteme

Project duration: 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2024 (2 years)

Funding organization: State of Saxony via Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) with support from the European Social Fund (ESF)

Project number: 61807403

Contact person: Faith_Chebet [dot] Tumwet [at] hszg [dot] de (Faith_Chebet[dot]Tumwet[at]hszg[dot]de); Traugott [dot] Scheytt [at] geo [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de (Traugott[dot]Scheytt[at]geo[dot]tu-freiberg[dot]de)

Project Partners:

Hochschule Zittau/ Görlitz; (ZIRKON) Zittauer Institut für Verfahrensentwicklung, Kreislaufwirtschaft, Oberflächentechnik, Naturstoffforschung: Dr.-Ing. Maria Schäfer (Maria [dot] Schaefer [at] hszg [dot] de (Maria[dot]Schaefer[at]hszg[dot]de))

Technical University of Liberec: Dr. Stanisław Wacławek (stanislaw [dot] waclawek [at] tul [dot] cz (stanislaw[dot]waclawek[at]tul[dot]cz)); Dr. Tereza Sázavská (tereza [dot] sazavska [at] tul [dot] cz (tereza[dot]sazavska[at]tul[dot]cz)) 

Microplastics, as part of the global problem of plastic pollution, are gaining increasing attention in environmental science and the public media. A large part of the microplastics emitted comes from tire treads and other rubber-based materials. It's estimated that tire wear contributes an annual average release of 0.96 to 1.2 kilograms per person, equating to approximately 100 milligrams per kilometer driven. Since tire treads are a very heterogeneous material, many potentially dangerous and toxic substances may leach into groundwater. It is therefore important that the effects of tire wear on adjacent ecosystems are examined in more detail. 

Project objectives:

  • Develop robust analytical methods to precisely quantify environmental contamination.
  • Examine their effects on plants and possible uptake by plants. 
  • Investigate their transport processes and pathways in soil. 

Project participants:

Prof. Karin Fester (Projektleitung)

M.Sc. Jennifer Dutschke

M.Sc. Tomas Kleint

M.Sc. Anne Richter

Dipl.-Ing. Ilona Schönfelder

M.Eng Faith Chebet Tumwet