Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Microplastic pollution is a growing concern, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) acting as both barriers and sources. This study quantified microplastics in two centralized industrial WWTPs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 40.4 items L−1 in wastewater...

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Main Authors: Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le, Tan-Phong Ngo, Minh-Thanh Lai, Ngoc-Huyen Pham, Ngoc-Bao-Tran Nguyen, Phuoc-Dan Nguyen, Thi-Minh-Tam Le, Emilie Strady
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001835
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author Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le
Tan-Phong Ngo
Minh-Thanh Lai
Ngoc-Huyen Pham
Ngoc-Bao-Tran Nguyen
Phuoc-Dan Nguyen
Thi-Minh-Tam Le
Emilie Strady
author_facet Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le
Tan-Phong Ngo
Minh-Thanh Lai
Ngoc-Huyen Pham
Ngoc-Bao-Tran Nguyen
Phuoc-Dan Nguyen
Thi-Minh-Tam Le
Emilie Strady
author_sort Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le
collection DOAJ
description Microplastic pollution is a growing concern, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) acting as both barriers and sources. This study quantified microplastics in two centralized industrial WWTPs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 40.4 items L−1 in wastewater and 29.6–92.0 items g−1 dry weight in sludge, predominantly fibres. Despite high removal efficiencies, 1.7 × 106 microplastics were discharged daily. Potential risks from sludge were also discussed. Robust multivariate regression analysis of 43 WWTPs worldwide underscored the influent concentrations as the strongest predictor influencing effluent concentrations and offering insights into potential evidence-based strategies aligned with Vietnam's 2030 plastic reduction goals.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2666-0164
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
spelling doaj-art-49a97d2ebfb34922b99df8bf3637c3e02025-08-20T04:02:50ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642025-12-011210127610.1016/j.cscee.2025.101276Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamThuy-Chung Kieu-Le0Tan-Phong Ngo1Minh-Thanh Lai2Ngoc-Huyen Pham3Ngoc-Bao-Tran Nguyen4Phuoc-Dan Nguyen5Thi-Minh-Tam Le6Emilie Strady7Faculty of Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Corresponding author. Faculty of Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), Viet NamFaculty of Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), VietnamVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), VietnamVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), VietnamVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), VietnamVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), VietnamVietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Vietnam; Asian Center for Water Research (CARE), Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), VietnamAsian Center for Water Research (CARE), Ho Chi Minh City of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam; Aix-Marseille Univ., Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Université de Toulon, CNRS /IRD, Marseille, FranceMicroplastic pollution is a growing concern, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) acting as both barriers and sources. This study quantified microplastics in two centralized industrial WWTPs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 40.4 items L−1 in wastewater and 29.6–92.0 items g−1 dry weight in sludge, predominantly fibres. Despite high removal efficiencies, 1.7 × 106 microplastics were discharged daily. Potential risks from sludge were also discussed. Robust multivariate regression analysis of 43 WWTPs worldwide underscored the influent concentrations as the strongest predictor influencing effluent concentrations and offering insights into potential evidence-based strategies aligned with Vietnam's 2030 plastic reduction goals.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001835Microplastic pollutionIndustrial wastewaterSludge contaminationRobust multivariate regression analysisVietnam
spellingShingle Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le
Tan-Phong Ngo
Minh-Thanh Lai
Ngoc-Huyen Pham
Ngoc-Bao-Tran Nguyen
Phuoc-Dan Nguyen
Thi-Minh-Tam Le
Emilie Strady
Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Microplastic pollution
Industrial wastewater
Sludge contamination
Robust multivariate regression analysis
Vietnam
title Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
title_full Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
title_fullStr Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
title_full_unstemmed Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
title_short Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
title_sort microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized industrial wastewater treatment plants in ho chi minh city vietnam
topic Microplastic pollution
Industrial wastewater
Sludge contamination
Robust multivariate regression analysis
Vietnam
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001835
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