Journal Issue:
EnNRJ Vol. 23 No. 2

Issued Date

2025

Resource Type

Journal Issue

Language

tha
eng

File Type

application/pdf

Access Rights

open access

Rights

ผลงานนี้เป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของมหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล ขอสงวนไว้สำหรับเพื่อการศึกษาเท่านั้น ต้องอ้างอิงแหล่งที่มา ห้ามดัดแปลงเนื้อหา และห้ามนำไปใช้เพื่อการค้า

Rights Holder(s)

Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies Mahidol University

Journal Volume

Articles

No Thumbnail Available
PublicationOpen Access
Microplastic Pollution in an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant: Unravelling Problems and Proposing Solutions
(2025) Anh Tuan Ta; Sandhya Babel; Lukas Klocke; Andreas Haarstick
Microplastics (MPs) are detected ubiquitously in aquatic environments worldwide, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving as significant pathways for their entry. This study investigates MP removal efficiency and suggests improvements in a conventional municipal WWTP in Bangkok, Thailand. Wastewater samples were collected using a volume-reduced method and filtered into three size ranges (0.05-0.5, 0.5-1.0, and 1.0-5.0 mm). Particles bigger than 0.5 mm were assessed for abundance using an optical microscope and identified for polymer types using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, while smaller particles were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and micro-FTIR. The average concentration of MPs entering the WWTP was 16.55±9.92 MPs/L, whereas the concentration discharged into the environment was 3.52±1.43 MPs/L. The resultant MP removal efficiency of the Bangkok WWTP stands at approximately 78%, a figure lower than that of WWTPs in developed countries. This discrepancy is attributed to the absence of a primary clarifier within the Bangkok WWTP and an under-designed grit channel. Thus, the implementation of a filter system using activated carbon is suggested. Based on the calculations, 21 filter units are required for the Bangkok WWTP to improve MPs’ removal effectiveness. This study provides vital data on the presence of MPs in a Bangkok WWTP, emphasizing challenges that impede effective removal efficiency. Additionally, this study proposes potential solutions to enhance the removal of MPs and address these issues.

Title

EnNRJ Vol. 23 No. 2

Author's Affiliation

Mahidol University. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies
มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล. คณะสิ่งแวดล้อมและทรัพยากรศาสตร์

Keyword(s)

Climate change
 Biodiversity
 Disaster
 Ecological
 Environmental modelling
 Environmental dynamics
 Environmental pollution
 Emerging contaminants
 Transboundary pollution
 Waste and wastewater treatments
 Hazardous wastes
 Natural resource management
 Multidisciplinary sciences
 Environment and Natural Resources Journal

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EnNRJ-Issue