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Audi Foundation and TU Berlin successfully filter tire wear particles
The Audi Environmental Foundation and the TU Berlin have jointly developed a drain filter that aims to prevent tire wear and other environmentally harmful particles from being flushed into the sewer system and water bodies along with rainwater. Initial practical and laboratory tests have now demonstrated the efficiency of the system. Tire and road wear particles are generated with every drive. An estimated 110,000 tons of these particles end up on the roads in the form of microplastics each year in Germany alone, according to the foundation's calculations. From there, they are distributed into the environment by wind or are flushed by rain through the drain and into the sewers, soils, rivers, and eventually the oceans. With the rise of electromobility, tire wear could especially increase further due to higher vehicle weights and starting torques. Therefore, remediation is urgently needed.
"Our goal is to intervene preventively wherever possible and allow less microplastic to enter the environment," explains Rüdiger Recknagel, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation.
The filters are designed to be individually combinable depending on the traffic situation and to retain the accumulated dirt particles as close as possible to their place of origin before they are swept into the sewer system by rainwater, according to the promise. The project was launched in September 2020. Tests in the laboratory and on the road at the TU Berlin have shown that the filters work very effectively. They manage to retain "real" street sweepings, cigarette filters, microplastic in the form of plastic granules up to three millimeters in size, candy wrappers, and lids of coffee-to-go cups permanently without clogging.
"The system works not only in light or drizzling rain but also when it rains heavily," explains Daniel Venghaus, a research associate in urban water management at TU Berlin.
Practical Test in Berlin - Stress Test in the Storm
For more than a month, a filter has also been in use on a heavily trafficked street in Berlin. The so-called Urban Filter successfully managed its first stress test in the form of a series of storms in mid-February. It is expected to continue operating until the end of the year. Researchers intend to take samples from both the inflow and outflow to determine the efficiency of the filter in real-world conditions throughout the seasons. Initial talks with the ADAC Driving Safety Center Berlin-Brandenburg are already underway to install filters on driving tracks. This is to gain a better understanding of the filtering of abrasion under different driving conditions, reported the foundation.
Nine Modules for Different Applications
The sediment filters are divided into three zones: street, shaft, and outflow, and consist of nine modules. Up to three modules can be combined to achieve the best results depending on the location. In the upper street area, this may be a special drainage channel. Below, in the shaft itself, solids can be roughly filtered out using an optimized leaf basket or a so-called filter rock. In the lowest area, the outflow, fine filtration is addressed, for which a magnet module may be used. Filtering these fine particles presents challenges to the researchers around Daniel Venghaus.
"The system has passed tests with tire granulate ranging from 20 to 1,000 micrometers (µm) and light to moderate rain. Now, we are working on improving the filtration performance during heavy rain," Venghaus specifies.
However, the tire granulate used for testing behaves differently from actual tire abrasion. Practical tests on roads are expected to provide further insights here.
Networking is Also a Key Factor Here
The goal of the tests and further developments is for the filter to be operational in practice for up to a year without needing maintenance and cleaning. This is where "intelligent networking" comes into play, bundling different types of information, such as street cleaning schedules, traffic volume on the respective street, peak times, and weather forecasts. Another factor is whether many trees are present on the street or if dogs are frequently walked there. These factors help predict the pollution level of individual filters and determine the optimal time for emptying, according to those responsible. For instance, a filter could be emptied preventively before heavy rainfall.
"We are in close contact with other partners, such as the engineering company IAV and other research institutions focused on intelligent traffic management and planning," explains Daniel Venghaus.
An exhibit of the Urban Filter is on display at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt until April 4th, and subsequently in Wolfsburg. At the Phaeno Science Museum, Venghaus plans to present his research work on May 1st as part of the "Meet the Scientist" series.
Translated automatically from German."We are open to additional cooperation partners, both for exhibitions and potential application sites," appeals the scientist.
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