ISO/TS 21396:2017 specifies a method for the determination of the soil or sediment mass concentration (μg/g) of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) in environmental samples.

ISO/TS 21396:2017 establishes principles for soil or sediment sample collection, the generation of pyrolysis fragments from the sample, and the quantification of the generated polymer fragments. The quantified polymer mass is used to calculate the concentration of TRWP in soil or sediment. These quantities are expressed on a TRWP basis, which includes the mass of tyre tread and mass of road wear encrustations, and can also be expressed on a tyre rubber polymer or tyre tread basis.

NOTE Tyre and road wear particles are a discrete mass of elongated particles generated at the frictional interface between the tyre and roadway surface during the service life of a tyre. The particles consist of tyre tread enriched with mineral encrustations from the roadway surface.