The environmental impact of vehicle tyre use is huge. This company aspires to be a catalyst for change.

Used tires from cars have a devastating impact on the natural world. This company aspires to be a game-changer in finding a solution.

Car tire tread wears down somewhat every time the driver applies the brakes, accelerates, or corners. The normal wear and tear on tires causes most car owners to replace their tires every five years or so, which has serious consequences for the environment.

Every year, about 6.1 million metric tons of tire dust is released into the air and water systems. The Arctic and other far-flung locales have also been discovered to have this microplastic pollution.

Now, a business headquartered in London has developed a method to permanently eliminate tire dust. The Tyre Collective developed a device that attaches to wheels and uses electrostatically charged copper plates to collect the dust.

To reduce pollution, “for years we’ve been so focused on tailpipe emissions, but we’re starting to look at other sources,” says Siobhan Anderson, chief scientific officer and co-founder of The Tyre Collective. Tires eventually wear out, but the material they release into the environment is rarely given much thought.

Anderson envisions that the patented device developed by The Tyre Collective and recognized with a James Dyson Award in 2020 will be able to eliminate this pollution completely.

This is the real world

In 2020, the four individuals who would go on to found The Tyre Collective were enrolled in a master’s program in Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Anderson, who studied biology in college, claims she has always been concerned about environmental issues and microplastics, which is how she learned about the obscure problem of tire dust.

To collect tire dust, the Tyre Collective has developed a wheel-mounted device that uses electrostatically charged copper plates to attract and hold the dust particles. Thanks to The Tire Collective

Ninety percent of vehicle particle emissions come from sources other than exhaust, such as tire, brake, and road surface wear. Tire dust contains microplastics that may be ingested and cause respiratory problems, contributing to the harmful PM2.5 pollution.

The scientists determined that one London bus’s daily output of tire dust is similar to that of a grapefruit, helping to put the magnitude of the issue into perspective.

The next step required the crew to figure out how to prevent tire debris from blowing onto the road and into the air.

“We were trying out a number of various strategies to capture it, from vacuuming to utilizing adhesive things,” explains Anderson. She claims they had a “lightbulb moment” when they learned the particles carry an electrical charge.

The researchers depicted the issue by analysing the quantity of tire dust created by London buses, conventional automobiles and electric vehicles.

The Tyre Collective’s gadget, which is powered by the car’s alternator, employs a copper plate to produce an electric field that draws the tire dust in the same way as rubbing a balloon on a jumper gathers up fluff. “Then, we’re able to wipe off the plates and put it into a storage canister,” explains Anderson.

According to Anderson, the team was able to modify and refine the technology for the real world since they had constructed a prototype to validate the fundamental technology, which had its maiden road test last year in conjunction with automotive firm Geely Auto Group.

The situation is becoming worse.

As the globe moves toward electric cars, efforts to minimise particle pollution are more crucial than ever (EVs).

Particulate mass emissions from tire wear are hundreds of times more than those from tailpipes, which have been drastically decreased in recent years due to high-efficiency exhaust filters.

According to Lisa Erdle, director of research and innovation at The 5 Gyres Institute, which studies marine plastic waste, although electric cars reduce carbon emissions, they nevertheless contribute to the rising issue of non-exhaust emissions.

Last year, the Tyre Collective put its invention through its first round of road testing.

The Tyre Collective’s invention was first tested on the open road in 2017.

According to Erdle, this is “not an issue that is going to go away” since EVs are often heavier than comparable ICE vehicles.

Since heavier EVs emit more PM2.5 particles than conventional automobiles, while lighter EVs emit somewhat less, non-exhaust emissions are projected to rise by 52.4% by 2030 as the number of EVs on the road increases.

“If this situation stays unaddressed, we’ll witness a buildup of tire dust in the environment,” says Erdle, adding that the harmful compounds in tires are significantly hurting animals, the environment and human health. Erdle acknowledges that there is no one “silver bullet,” but he suggests that a combination of actions, such as prohibitions on harmful chemicals or redesigned materials, might be effective. She continues by saying that tire manufacturers are aware of the problem and open to new approaches, but that they need to feel the heat from customers or government regulation to take action.

According to Anderson, the recovered rubber might be used to make other items, such as tires.

Anderson argues that the salvaged rubber may be used to make other items, such as tires.

The automobile sector has been receptive to The Tyre Collective’s technology, adds Anderson. After last year’s road testing, the business was able to demonstrate to vehicle and tire makers that the gadget was “actual and operating,” she adds.

“We’ve had a lot of interest to conduct the next level of pilots,” adds Anderson.

In other words, they are trying to solve the problem by creating a new

For the next three months, the Tyre Collective will work with Zhero, a London-based provider of low-emission and sustainable logistics services.

According to Ollie King, cofounder of Zhero, “when we heard that there was a device in development that might help minimise and collect those emissions, we knew we wanted to be a part of that process,” with the ultimate goal of bettering human health on a national and international scale.

Anderson said the experiment will help the researchers obtain additional data regarding the device’s efficiency. The team is looking at methods to improve the electrostatics, device placement on the automobile, and airflow to increase the efficiency of the system from its current 60% capture rate in the lab to 90%.

The canisters will be emptied monthly by technicians at garages. According to Anderson, the group is also considering turning the tiny rubber bits into new tires, shoe bottoms, or rubber panels.

London-based logistics firm Zhero is now testing the gadget in tandem with the Tyre Collective.

The Tyre Collective and Zhero, a London-based logistics firm, are now testing the gadget.

A soft launch is planned for 2024, and the company plans to target big fleet cars and delivery vans for its retrofitting efforts because of their regular maintenance schedule, which will make it simpler to install, clean, and monitor the technology.

Ultimately, Anderson believes that all automobiles will be automatically equipped with a gadget like theirs before they reach the road.

“This is a worldwide issue that requires international cooperation to solve. And it’s going to need everyone to be aware of it and also participate in implementing the answer.”