Paris wastewater treatment plant to study removal of tire wear particles

The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has launched a pilot study with the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority (SIAAP) and sustainability consultancy ERM to evaluate how effectively municipal wastewater treatment plants remove tire and road wear particles (TRWP) from wastewater streams.

The project is being conducted at SIAAP’s Valenton wastewater treatment plant near Paris, one of Europe’s largest facilities, and will run through 2026. Researchers will collect samples throughout the treatment process and analyze them using advanced laboratory methods, including pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PY-GC/MS), to estimate TRWP removal rates across the plant.

According to TIP, limited data currently exists on how wastewater treatment processes affect TRWP, which are generated through normal tire and road surface wear and can enter wastewater systems through stormwater and roadway runoff. The study aims to provide end-to-end data on the movement and removal of these particles and help address a key knowledge gap.

The pilot is also the first real-world assessment of one of nine priority mitigation measures identified in TIP’s 2024 report on reducing TRWP. Results are expected to be submitted for peer review, with publication anticipated in early 2027.

“This pilot is an important step in going beyond understanding the subject in the laboratory to field-based evidence,” said Larisa Kryachkova in a press release. SIAAP officials said the findings could help inform future treatment planning and support preparedness for emerging regulatory requirements related to tire wear particles.