(Press-News.org) PUYALLUP, Wash. — The pore-like structure of permeable pavements may help protect coho salmon by preventing tire wear particles and related contaminants from entering stormwater runoff, according to a Washington State University study.
Researchers demonstrated that four types of permeable pavements can act as giant filters, retaining more than 96% of applied tire particle mass. They also captured several tire-associated chemicals, resulting in a 68% average reduction of 6PPD-quinone, a contaminant shown to kill coho salmon in urban streams. The study findings were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
“The pressure on existing stormwater management technologies is becoming problematic, especially with climate change and increased development,” said lead author Chelsea Mitchell, who recently earned a PhD in environmental and natural resource sciences from WSU. “Permeable pavements are a very promising type of green stormwater infrastructure because they could treat this type of pollution where it’s generated, rather than downstream.”
In 2020, a team led by WSU and University of Washington scientists at the Washington Stormwater Center discovered that 6PPD, a chemical found in tires, transforms into 6PPD-quinone when exposed to ozone or sunlight. Even in small concentrations, 6PPD-quinone is deadly to salmon.
For the latest study, WSU scientists led by Ani Jayakaran, a professor at WSU’s Puyallup Research and Extension Center, worked in an active parking lot at the School of Industrial Design, Engineering and Art in Tacoma, Wash., running a series of tests on four permeable pavements made of either asphalt or concrete. The pavements were created in collaboration with Boeing, which provided research funding, as well as Tacoma Public Schools and the City of Tacoma.
First, the researchers mimicked a rain event by flushing water through the pavements, measuring the background level of existing pollutants. The next day, they deposited ground-up used tire tread across a dosing area. They again simulated a rainstorm, measuring how much of the deposited particles and associated chemicals were retained.
A third water flushing experiment helped the researchers measure the likelihood that 6PPD-quinone and other chemicals would continue leaching off retained tire particles during future rainstorms.
“Permeable pavements make a difference in managing 6PPD-quinone and its source — tire wear particles,” said study co-author Jayakaran. “6PPD-quinone is hydrophobic, and we think the chemical is being absorbed into the internal surfaces of the pavement system.”
Because of their void spaces, permeable pavements are inherently weaker than their traditional counterparts, making it hard for them to withstand heavy traffic flows. Researchers in the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture previously demonstrated that using carbon fiber composite scraps derived from Boeing airplane wings could make the pavements stronger.
The new research could have a vast impact, the authors said. Salmon are significant to Native nations’ culture and to upholding their treaty rights to harvest salmon from streams. The technology could also have human health implications.
“Tire particles are so fine they can become airborne and possibly enter the human body through even a gentle breeze. And even in small doses, 6PPD-quinone is toxic to salmon,” Jayakaran said. “Both could impact human health, especially in communities who live near busy roads.”
Though the study findings are encouraging, Mitchell and Jayakaran emphasize that more testing is necessary, and widespread use of the novel infrastructure presents some challenges. Permeable pavements are sometimes installed in a new subdivision or a road undergoing repair, but the cost of replacing existing roads and parking lots is high.
“We’re not suggesting that permeable pavements are an appropriate replacement for all roadways,” Jayakaran said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done to increase their strength and utility, and this is certainly not a silver bullet. However, our research holds great promise, and we’re pointing in a very hopeful direction for future management of 6PPD-quinone and tire wear particles.”
END
Permeable pavements could reduce coho-killing tire pollutants
2024-01-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study: UAB researchers establish optimal immunosuppression regimen for pig-to-human kidney transplants
2024-01-25
Read all news releases on UAB’s peer-reviewed, published xenotransplant research and find media kits with video, photos, graphics and more at go.uab.edu/xenotransplant
The UAB News Studio is available for live or taped interviews with UAB experts.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Currently used Food and Drug Administration-approved transplant drugs — with the addition of an also already FDA-approved complement inhibitor — are the optimal immunosuppression regimen for pig-to-human kidney transplants, according to a landmark discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham investigators. The peer-reviewed research is published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
“These ...
Potassium-enriched salt is the missing ingredient in hypertension guidelines
2024-01-25
A call to include recommendations on low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension treatment guidelines has been made by an international group of experts today in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Hypertension.
High levels of sodium intake and low levels of potassium intake are widespread, and both are linked to high blood pressure (hypertension) and greater risk of stroke, heart disease and premature death. Using a salt substitute where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride ...
Researchers establish brain pathway linking motivation, addiction and disease
2024-01-25
New findings published in the journal Nature Neuroscience have shed light on a mysterious pathway between the reward center of the brain that is key to how we form habits, known as the basal ganglia, and another anatomically distinct region where nearly three-quarters of the brain’s neurons reside and assist in motor learning, known as the cerebellum.
Researchers say the connection between the two regions potentially changes our fundamental view of how the brain processes voluntary ...
How COVID changed the way Americans work, and how much money they have
2024-01-25
According to a new paper in the Review of Economic Studies, published by Oxford University Press, the widespread adoption of work-from-home technology has had dramatic consequences for American life. Using an equilibrium model where people choose where to live and how to allocate their time between working at home and at the office, the researchers here find that the pandemic induced a substantial increase in the relative productivity of those working from home. This change has increased housing prices, reduced office rent costs, and will permanently ...
Development of real-time trace hydrogen gas leakage via a novel terahertz-wave optical platform
2024-01-25
Hydrogen gas is the smallest and lightest of all known molecules, and its colorless and odorless nature makes it easy to leak. Also when concentrated above 4% in a confined space, it poses a risk of ignition or explosion. In order for hydrogen to become a major player in the future energy industry, it is essential to ensure the safety issues via ultra-sensitive gas detection technology over the entire gas-dealing processes such as gas production, storage, and transportation. However, conventional gas-leakage sensors using electric signals are prone to yield electrical sparks, which can cause an explosion of leaked hydrogen gas. In addition, the mainstream electrode-based contact sensors ...
Advanced Full-color image sensor technology enabling simultaneous energy harvesting and imaging
2024-01-25
Organic-based optoelectronic technology is increasingly recognized as an energy-efficient solution for low-power indoor electronics and wireless IoT sensors. This is largely due to its superior flexibility and light weight compared to conventional silicon-based devices. Notably, organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) and organic photodetectors (OPDs) are leading examples in this field. OPVs have the remarkable ability to absorb energy and generate electricity even under very low light condition, while OPDs are capable of capturing images. However, despite their potential, the development ...
New analysis shows that disinfection is the most effective way to prevent viral contamination of restroom surfaces
2024-01-25
Arlington, Va. — January 25, 2024 — A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) demonstrates that viral particles spread to many restroom surfaces during toilet flushing, regardless of whether the toilet lid is up or down. In this analysis, the only meaningful way of reducing viral particles was through disinfection of the toilet, toilet water, and nearby surfaces.
Scientists have long known that the process of toilet flushing can aerosolize pathogens expelled into the toilet bowl by an unhealthy individual. The aerosol plume created from the force of flushing can ...
Diverse forests are best at standing up to storms
2024-01-25
European forests with a greater diversity of tree species are more resilient to storms, according to new research published in the British Ecological Society journal, Functional Ecology.
A new study by researchers at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) reveals that in Europe, the forests that are most resilient to storms are those with a greater diversity of tree species and dominated by slow growing species with high wood density, like oaks.
The researchers also found that the positive effect of ...
More reporting needed to show progress on Ontario municipal climate and sustainability plans
2024-01-25
While sustainability reporting is a widespread practice in the private sector, new research shows that the same cannot be said for Ontario municipalities.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo studied 38 municipalities in Ontario, representing more than two-thirds of the population, and discovered that almost all municipalities publish their sustainability and climate change goals, but under half are formally reporting on their progress.
Municipalities are a key part of the equation ...
Recovering lossless propagation: HKU physicists overcoming optical loss in polariton system with synthetic complex frequency waves
2024-01-25
A collaborative research team co-led by Professor Shuang ZHANG, the Interim Head of the Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), along with Professor Qing DAI from National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China, has introduced a solution to a prevalent issue in the realm of nanophotonics – the study of light at an extremely small scale. Their findings, recently published in the prestigious academic journal Nature Materials, propose a synthetic complex frequency wave (CFW) approach to address optical loss in polariton propagation. These findings offer practical solutions such as more efficient light-based devices for faster and ...