Horiba Mira

Every time it rains, pollutants from our roads are washed into drains, rivers and seas. Road run-off is a major but poorly understood source of pollution entering our rivers, watercourses and wastewater systems.

Tyre wear, brake dust, road surface degradation and vehicle fluids release microplastics, particulates and complex chemical compounds—many of which are difficult to trace, measure or regulate.

Today’s monitoring approaches rely heavily on roadside sampling in uncontrolled environments, where multiple variables make it almost impossible to link pollutants back to their origin.

At the same time:

• Pollution generation is driven by a highly complex system of interacting factors
• Emerging contaminants (e.g. PFAS-type compounds) are outpacing regulation and detection capabilities
• Responsibility is fragmented across industries, limiting progress

This creates a critical gap - we cannot effectively mitigate what we cannot reliably measure, predict, trace or model.

Urgent action is needed to:

• Move from reactive treatment → source understanding and prevention
• Develop repeatable, controlled methods for measuring pollution
• Identify high-impact scenarios and priority contaminants
• Enable targeted, scalable mitigation strategies
• Work to mitigate at source potentially by regulation

By the end of the session, we will:

• Define a clear problem framework linking sources → pathways → impacts
• Identify priority pollutants and high-risk scenarios
• Outline concepts for controlled testbeds and real-world monitoring approaches
• Generate ideas for robust, repeatable sampling and analytical methods
• Explore data-driven modelling approaches to predict pollution generation
• Develop early concepts for a “road run-off ecosystem model”
• Identify practical mitigation opportunities across:
  • Source (focusing on tyres initially, moving to other sources later)
  • Capture (drainage, SuDS)
  • Treatment (pre/post water processing)
• Produce a clear roadmap and next steps, aligned to future innovation funding and collaborative delivery

This dash offers a unique opportunity to:

• Work on a high-impact, system-wide environmental challenge affecting water quality and resilience
• Help shape a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based approach to road run-off
• Contribute to building new testing, monitoring and modelling capability
• Turn cutting-edge thinking (AI, sampling, materials innovation) into practical action
• Influence future regulation, standards and industry practices

• Collaborate across water, highways, automotive, and academia to create a joined-up solution
• Be part of developing a national “living lab” concept for road run-off innovation

The Dash will combine collaborative design, technical exploration, and innovation sprint activities across several themes:

1. Understanding the Problem

• Map pollutant sources: tyres, brakes, road surfaces, fluids
• Explore the complex system of influencing factors (vehicle, road, environmental conditions)
• Identify knowledge gaps and emerging risks

2. Identifying What to Measure

• Define priority pollutants and indicators, focusing initially on tyres and expanding out in later projects
• Explore approaches such as:
  • Passive sampling technologies
  • Spectral libraries and chemical fingerprinting
• Consider how to future-proof datasets

3. Designing How to Measure It

• Develop concepts for:
  • Field-deployable sampling systems
  • Controlled testbeds and real-world monitoring sites
• Explore approaches to capturing first-flush events and time-dependent effects

4. Making Sense of the Data

• Use data analytics and AI to:
  • Identify high-risk scenarios
  • Build predictive models of pollutant generation and transport
• Explore creation of scenario databases and digital models of the system

5. Mitigation and Intervention

• Generate ideas for:
  • Capture technologies (e.g. drainage solutions)
  • Treatment approaches
  • Upstream interventions (materials and design changes)
• Explore what can be eliminated at source vs managed downstream

6. From Innovation to Impact

• Develop concepts for:
• Scalable pilots and trials
• Regulatory and policy influence
• Cross-industry collaboration models
• Define next steps towards a full innovation programme and delivery roadmap