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. 2016 Jun;188(6):369.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5377-1. Epub 2016 May 26.

Heavy metals from non-exhaust vehicle emissions in urban and motorway road dusts

Ewa Adamiec  1 , Elżbieta Jarosz-Krzemińska  2 , Robert Wieszała  3
Affiliations

Heavy metals from non-exhaust vehicle emissions in urban and motorway road dusts

Ewa Adamiec et al. Environ Monit Assess. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

The main sources of non-exhaust vehicular emissions that contribute to road dust are tire, brake and clutch wear, road surface wear, and other vehicle and road component degradation. This study is an attempt to identify and investigate heavy metals in urban and motorway road dusts as well as in dust from brake linings and tires. Road dust was collected from sections of the A-4 motorway in Poland, which is part of European route E40, and from urban roads in Katowice, Poland. Dust from a relatively unpolluted mountain road was collected and examined as a control sample. Selected metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe, Se, Sr, Ba, Ti, and Pd were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-optical emission spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy on a range of size-fractionated road dust and brake lining dust (<20, 20-56, 56-90, 90-250, and >250 μm). The compositions of brake lining and tire dust were also investigated using scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy. To estimate the degree of potential environmental risk of non-exhaust emissions, comparison with the geochemical background and the calculations of geo-accumulation indices were performed. The finest fractions of urban and motorway dusts were significantly contaminated with all of the investigated metals, especially with Ti, Cu, and Cr, which are well-recognized key tracers of non-exhaust brake wear. Urban dust was, however, more contaminated than motorway dust. It was therefore concluded that brake lining and tire wear strongly contributed to the contamination of road dust.

Keywords: Brake pad; Geo-accumulation index; Heavy metal; Road dust; Tire.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sampling locations
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Results from SEM-EDS analyses of brake lining dust smaller than 20 μm in diameter (accelerating voltage = 15.0 kV; magnification = ×2000)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Microphotograph of tire dust smaller than 20 μm at magnification of ×1000
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
SEM-EDS image of motorway road dust (accelerating voltage = 15.0 kV; magnification = ×500)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Results from SEM-EDS analyses of urban road dust (accelerating voltage = 15.0 kV; magnification = ×200)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
I geo calculation for road dust (bulk samples)
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
I geo calculation for selected road dust size fractions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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