🚙 Device curbs microplastic emissions from tires

Now that electric cars are becoming more and more popular, CO2 emissions from traffic will start to decline. However, tire dust (microplastics) will still be released while driving. As vehicle tires wear down microplastics are emitted and end up in waterways, the air we breathe and the food we eat. Fortunately, a group of four college students from Imperial College in London, Siobhan Anderson, Hanson Cheng, M Deepak Mallya and Hugo Richardson, have come up with a solution to the problem. Their invention, Tyre Collective, has won the prestigious James Dyson Award.

Tires on a vehicle wear down every time a vehicle breaks, accelerates or turns a corner. The Tyre Collective is a revolutionary design fitted to the vehicle's tires and employs electrostatics to gather charged particles as they come off the wheels.

Good News Network wrote that based on the results from their test rig, the team believes their prototype will collect about 60 percent of all airborne particles emitted from tires. When the particles have been collected they can be reused in new tires or ink.

Hugo Richardson explained to the Guardian:

“As a team, our strength lies in our diversity. We come from all four corners of the globe and bring with us a wealth of knowledge in mechanical engineering, product design, architecture and biomechanics.”

Thanks to electrical vehicles, CO2 emissions will be reduced, and now, thanks to the Tyre Collective, tire dust can also be reduced - nudging the now towards a better tomorrow.