Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

doi:10.1007/s10661-025-13882-1

. 2025 Mar 18;197(4):420.

doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-13882-1.

Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

Thi Oanh Doan¹, Thi Thuy Duong^{2

3}, Le Anh Pham⁴, Thi My Nguyen⁵, Phuong Thao Pham⁵, Thi Anh Nguyet Nguyen⁵, Thi Quynh Hoang⁵, Ngoc Nam Phuong⁶, Thi Phuong Quynh Le⁷, Nhu Da Le⁷, Thanh Nga Cao^{5

8}, Thi Trinh Le¹, Thi Thu Hang Hoang⁵, Xuan Cuong Nguyen^{9

10}, Vu Trung Kien Hoang¹¹, Johnny Gasperi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment, No 41A, Phu Dien Street, Hanoi, Bac Tu Liem, Viet Nam.
² Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Environment, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. duongthuy0712@gmail.com.
³ Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. duongthuy0712@gmail.com.
⁴ University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. pham-le.anh@usth.edu.vn.
⁵ Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Environment, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁶ GERS-LEE Université Gustave Eiffel, IFSTTAR, 44344, Bouguenais, France.
⁷ Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁸ Institute of Human Geography, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 1 Lieu Giai Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁹ Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
¹⁰ Faculty of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
¹¹ Thuy Loi University, 175 Tay Son, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.

PMID: 40100429
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-025-13882-1

Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

Thi Oanh Doan et al. Environ Monit Assess. 2025.

. 2025 Mar 18;197(4):420.

doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-13882-1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment, No 41A, Phu Dien Street, Hanoi, Bac Tu Liem, Viet Nam.
² Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Environment, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. duongthuy0712@gmail.com.
³ Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. duongthuy0712@gmail.com.
⁴ University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. pham-le.anh@usth.edu.vn.
⁵ Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Environment, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁶ GERS-LEE Université Gustave Eiffel, IFSTTAR, 44344, Bouguenais, France.
⁷ Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁸ Institute of Human Geography, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 1 Lieu Giai Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁹ Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
¹⁰ Faculty of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
¹¹ Thuy Loi University, 175 Tay Son, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.

PMID: 40100429
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-025-13882-1

Abstract

Wastewater has been identified as one of the main contributors to microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic environments. Hence, this study investigates the presence, characteristics of MPs in wastewater sample types (industrial, domestic, and medical wastewater), and also the removal efficacy of MPs by local wastewater treatment stations. Overall, industrial wastewater showed a higher MP abundance level at 60,881 ± 48,154 items/m³, compared to domestic and medical wastewater with values of 31,494 ± 10,142 items/m³ and 35,453 ± 13,186 items/m³, respectively. Fiber and fragment were the main shapes observed among the MPs found in all wastewater samples, and the dominant form was microfiber, ranging from 63 to 97.5% of total MPs. The performance of local wastewater treatment stations showed varied efficiencies in MP removal, ranging between 15.8 ± 5 and 90.2 ± 1.3%. Domestic wastewater treatment stations showed lower MP removal effectiveness, at 43.9 ± 13.1%, while treatment stations receiving industrial and medical wastewater achieved 59.5 ± 20.7 and 69.6 ± 22.1% of removal efficiencies, respectively. As estimated, 2.9 × 10¹⁰ microplastic items could be emitted to the water bodies around Hanoi every day, which MPs originated from domestic wastewater accounted for 80.3% due to its high discharge volume and inadequate treatment capacity. Optimization of the septic tank system operation and the sewage sludge treatment processes could prevent secondary contamination of MPs, while an additional primary sedimentation step could improve the overall MP elimination efficacy of the studied treatment stations. The results from this study suggested that more in-depth investigations were required for a proper understanding of the migration routes of MPs from different anthropogenic activities to wastewater.

Keywords: Domestic; Industrial and medical wastewater; Microplastic; Removal; Wastewater treatment plant.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations: All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Ethics approval: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

References

1. Adhikari, J. R., & Lohani, S. P. (2019). Design, installation, operation and experimentation of septic tank – UASB wastewater treatment system. Renewable Energy, 143, 1406–1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.04.059 - DOI
1. Alavian Petroody, S. S., Hashemi, S. H., & van Gestel, C. A. M. (2021). Transport and accumulation of microplastics through wastewater treatment sludge processes. Chemosphere, 278, 130471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130471 - DOI
1. Arfanuzzaman, Md., & Dahiya, B. (2019). Sustainable urbanization in Southeast Asia and beyond: Challenges of population growth, land use change, and environmental health. Growth and Change, 50, 725–744. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12297 - DOI
1. Bakaraki Turan, N., Sari Erkan, H., & Onkal Engin, G. (2021). Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Occurrence, fate and identification. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 146, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2020.08.039 - DOI
1. Bao, R., Wang, Z., Qi, H., Mehmood, T., Cai, M., Zhang, Y., Yang, R., Peng, L., & Liu, F. (2022). Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in a tropical region of China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 349, 131454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131454 - DOI

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

Substances

Actions
Actions
Actions

Grants and funding

105.08-2023.24/National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED)

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Springer
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program

[1] Adhikari, J. R., & Lohani, S. P. (2019). Design, installation, operation and experimentation of septic tank – UASB wastewater treatment system. Renewable Energy, 143, 1406–1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.04.059 - DOI

[2] Adhikari, J. R., & Lohani, S. P. (2019). Design, installation, operation and experimentation of septic tank – UASB wastewater treatment system. Renewable Energy, 143, 1406–1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.04.059 - DOI

[3] Alavian Petroody, S. S., Hashemi, S. H., & van Gestel, C. A. M. (2021). Transport and accumulation of microplastics through wastewater treatment sludge processes. Chemosphere, 278, 130471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130471 - DOI

[4] Alavian Petroody, S. S., Hashemi, S. H., & van Gestel, C. A. M. (2021). Transport and accumulation of microplastics through wastewater treatment sludge processes. Chemosphere, 278, 130471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130471 - DOI

[5] Arfanuzzaman, Md., & Dahiya, B. (2019). Sustainable urbanization in Southeast Asia and beyond: Challenges of population growth, land use change, and environmental health. Growth and Change, 50, 725–744. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12297 - DOI

[6] Arfanuzzaman, Md., & Dahiya, B. (2019). Sustainable urbanization in Southeast Asia and beyond: Challenges of population growth, land use change, and environmental health. Growth and Change, 50, 725–744. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12297 - DOI

[7] Bakaraki Turan, N., Sari Erkan, H., & Onkal Engin, G. (2021). Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Occurrence, fate and identification. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 146, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2020.08.039 - DOI

[8] Bakaraki Turan, N., Sari Erkan, H., & Onkal Engin, G. (2021). Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Occurrence, fate and identification. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 146, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2020.08.039 - DOI

[9] Bao, R., Wang, Z., Qi, H., Mehmood, T., Cai, M., Zhang, Y., Yang, R., Peng, L., & Liu, F. (2022). Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in a tropical region of China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 349, 131454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131454 - DOI

[10] Bao, R., Wang, Z., Qi, H., Mehmood, T., Cai, M., Zhang, Y., Yang, R., Peng, L., & Liu, F. (2022). Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in a tropical region of China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 349, 131454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131454 - DOI

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

Affiliations

Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

References

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials