Tire road wear particles (TRWP) are sometimes considered to be a major source of microplastics emitted into the environment. However, due to their physicochemical properties, TRWP are considered to differ from typical microplastics in behavior and distribution in the environment. Simultaneous quantitative analysis of TRWP and microplastics in the environment is important to understand their actual distribution in the environment and to confirm the effectiveness of mitigation measures. This study reports on the optimization of analytical pretreatment methods for this purpose, focusing particularly on specific gravity separation.

• Analysis of TRWP in the enviroment
• Difference between TRWP and typical microplastics
• Analytical pretreatment methods focusing on specific gravity separation