Fingerprinting tyre emissions - characterising their chemical composition

随着电动汽车的计划推出，轮胎及其相关排放可能成为机动车污染的最大来源，但人们对这些排放的了解甚少。目前还没有标准化的监管方法来测量磨损率、磨损材料的化学成分或对人类和更广泛环境的最终毒理学影响。该项目旨在着手解决这一链条中第二个尚未解决的部分--测量和表征轮胎磨损中的化学化合物--并为其开发测量方法，因为这些化合物是由实际运行中的车辆产生的。为了实现这一目标，不仅需要识别和量化轮胎中的各种化合物和元素，还需要了解测量的准确性和可重复性。如果成功，它将提供机会，能够在比目前更大的程度上了解环境影响，包括空气、水和土壤。这一点很重要，因为轮胎已被确定为海洋中微塑料的最大来源之一。由于驾驶安全性不会因为减少抓地力而受到影响，因此解决这一问题的最佳方法可能是改变轮胎材料的成分，而不是磨损率。随着轻型车辆转向电动汽车和货车，平均车辆重量将显著增加，这可能导致更高的磨损。利用Emissions Analytics现有的测量轮胎磨损有机成分的能力，该项目将扩大该能力，以涵盖无机成分并了解测量不确定性。通过应对计量方面的挑战，有可能释放私营部门的价值以及公共价值，以应对当前和预防未来的环境挑战。

With the planned roll-out of electric vehicles, tyres, and their associated emissions, are potentially becoming the biggest source of pollution from motor vehicles, but these emissions are poorly understood. There is currently no standardised regulatory method for measuring the wear rates, the chemical composition of the abraded material or the ultimate toxicological effect on humans and the wider environment. This project aims to start addressing, and develop measurement methods for, the second unresolved part of this chain - measuring and characterising the chemical compounds in tyre wear, as it is created from vehicles in real-world operation.To achieve this, it is necessary not just to identify and quantify the wide range of compounds and elements in tyres, but also to understand the accuracy and repeatability of the measurements. If successful, it opens up the opportunity to be able to understand the environmental effects - encompassing air, water and soil - to a much greater extent than currently. This is important as tyres have been identified as one of the largest sources of microplastics in the ocean. As driving safety cannot be compromised by reducing grip, the best way to address this problem may be to change the composition of the tyre material rather than the rate of wear. As the light-duty vehicle fleet shifts to electrified cars and vans, average vehicle weight is set to increase significantly, which is likely to result in higher wear.Leveraging Emissions Analytics' existing capability to measure the organic constituents of tyre wear, the project will expand that to cover inorganic components and understanding measurement uncertainties. By addressing a measurement challenge, there is the potential to unlock private sector value together with public value in addressing current and pre-empting future environmental challenges.