Experimental studies about the impact of traction sand on urban road dust composition

Traffic causes enhanced PM10 resuspension especially during spring in the US, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Finland, among other countries. The springtime PM10 consists primarily of mineral matter from tyre-induced paved road surface wear and traction sand. In some countries, the majority of vehicles are equipped with studded tyres to enhance traction, which additionally increases road surface wear. Because the traction sand and the mineral matter from the pavement aggregate can have a similar mineralogical composition, it has been difficult to determine the source of the mineral fraction in the PM10. In this study, homogenous traction sand and pavement aggregate with different mineralogical compositions were chosen to determine the sources of PM10 particles by single particle analysis (SEM/EDX). This study was conducted in a test facility, which made it possible to rule out dust contributions from other sources. The ambient PM10 concentrations were higher when traction sand was used, regardless of whether the tyres were studded or not. Surprisingly, the use of traction sand greatly increased the number of the particles originating from the pavement. It was concluded that sand must contribute to pavement wear. This phenomenon is called the sandpaper effect. An understanding of this is important to reduce harmful effects of springtime road dust in practical winter maintenance of urban roads