Sustainable Environmental Insight

The Current Status and Potential Technologies for Treating Antibiotic Pollution in the Aquatic Environment in Vietnam

2025-11-13T06:11:42+00:00

This study investigated the occurrence of antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments in Vietnam and proposed potential treatment technologies. Major sources of antibiotic release included urban domestic activities, livestock production, aquaculture, healthcare facilities, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. A wide range of antibiotics was detected at elevated concentrations in rivers, lakes, and canals, with the most frequently reported groups being sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and tetracyclines, at levels ranging from several ng/l to thousands of ng/l. The paper critically reviewed existing treatment technologies, encompassing biological approaches such as activated sludge, biofilm reactors, and constructed wetlands; physical approaches including adsorption and membrane filtration; and chemical approaches such as Fenton oxidation, ozonation, and photocatalysis, with emphasis on their respective advantages and limitations. To address the specific conditions of Vietnam, a three-module integrated treatment model was proposed, consisting of activated sludge for organic matter degradation, activated carbon adsorption columns for antibiotic removal, and constructed wetlands for residual polishing. This integrated system was expected to provide high removal efficiency, low operational costs, and environmental sustainability. The findings offered a scientific basis for controlling antibiotic pollution, mitigating the risks of antimicrobial resistance, and protecting aquatic ecosystems.

Strengthening Climate Resilience for Smallholder farmers in Isingiro District, Uganda: A Documentary Review

2026-02-23T06:03:37+00:00

Climate resilience was a lifeline for millions of smallholder farmers amidst the escalating climatic crises. This paper aimed to evaluate several resilience approaches utilized by smallholder farmers under underlying constraints and enabling environments in the Isingiro District. A documentary review was utilized in which secondary data were gathered from peer-reviewed articles and other credible sources. The study findings revealed the continued utilization of agronomic practices such as mulching, intercropping, and crop rotation, while transformative practices were adopted to a lesser extent despite high levels of climate change awareness. This indicated the presence of structural and institutional constraints that hindered the translation of climate awareness into practice. Various institutional and systemic barriers emerged throughout the analysis, with limited access to finance, inadequate extension services, and poor land tenure systems appearing recurrently in most of the reviewed literature. Climate resilience was found to be a highly dynamic and evolving process, implying the need for flexible and adaptive local governance to allow the integration of local realities into policies, plans, and budgets. It was further revealed that the adoption and effectiveness of resilience approaches depended heavily on governance structures and institutions that moderated the options available and affordable to smallholder farmers. Therefore, creating sustainable resilience for smallholder farmers in Isingiro required approaches that addressed underlying limitations, created a supportive environment, and blended traditional and technical solutions.

Applications of Synthetic Biology in Microbial and Enzymatic Systems for Microplastic Degradation: A Review

2026-03-05T04:28:08+00:00

Microplastic pollution poses a persistent environmental challenge due to the chemical recalcitrance, low bioavailability, and environmental stability of synthetic polymers. Synthetic biology has emerged as a powerful, integrative framework for enhancing biological degradation of microplastics by systematically engineering enzymes, microbial chassis, and metabolic pathways. This narrative review examines recent advances in enzyme engineering, whole-cell engineering, and metabolic engineering that collectively enhance the efficiency, robustness, and scalability of microbial and enzymatic systems for plastic degradation. At the enzyme level, rational design, directed evolution, and computationally guided approaches have driven substantial improvements in the catalytic performance of plastic-degrading enzymes, particularly polyester hydrolases such as PETase, MHETase, cutinases, and LCC variants. Structure-guided mutagenesis and machine-learning–assisted workflows have yielded next-generation enzymes with enhanced activity, thermostability, and substrate affinity, enabling the depolymerization of semicrystalline and post-consumer plastics under increasingly mild, industrially relevant conditions. Domain fusion strategies further address mass-transfer limitations by improving enzyme–polymer interactions, especially for highly crystalline substrates. Beyond isolated enzymes, whole-cell engineering integrates enzyme production, localization, and activity within living systems. Surface display platforms, biofilm-based immobilization, secretion systems, and multi-enzyme cascades facilitate sustained enzyme–substrate contact, reduce diffusional losses, and enable sequential depolymerization. Engineered microbial chassis have demonstrated effective microplastic degradation in controlled environments, although catalytic efficiency, intermediate toxicity, and biosafety concerns currently limit deployment in open environments. Metabolic engineering complements depolymerization by enabling microbial assimilation and conversion of plastic-derived monomers into central metabolites or value-added products, supporting closed-loop recycling and upcycling concepts. However, pathway complexity, flux imbalance, and substrate toxicity remain significant constraints. Overall, the review highlights that the most effective synthetic biology strategies for microplastic degradation arise from integrating enzyme engineering with whole-cell and systems-level optimization. While technical and economic challenges persist, continued advances in computational design, process integration, and systems synthetic biology hold strong promise for developing scalable, environmentally safe solutions aligned with circular economy principles.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Environmental Management in Vietnam: A Mini Review

2026-03-05T04:28:08+00:00

Vietnam faced serious environmental challenges, including air pollution, waste management issues, natural disasters, climate change, and biodiversity loss. This paper provided a mini-review of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the environmental sector in Vietnam, based on studies published between 2020 and 2025. AI was effectively applied in various domains, such as high-accuracy air quality forecasting using models such as LightGBM and CatBoost; optimization of solid waste management through Random Forest and integrated IoT systems; flood and landslide prediction using XGBoost and LSTM; climate change impact assessment based on stacked LSTM architectures; and natural resource monitoring employing convolutional neural networks combined with geographic information systems. These studies demonstrated that AI outperformed traditional methods in terms of accuracy and efficiency, thereby supporting data-driven decision-making. However, major challenges remained, including limitations in data availability, human resources, and technical infrastructure. The paper further proposed development directions such as establishing open databases, strengthening human capacity building, and promoting international collaboration to accelerate AI adoption in alignment with Vietnam’s National AI Strategy toward 2030. Overall, AI was expected to become a key enabling tool for sustainable environmental management in Vietnam.

Aquatic Toxicity Bioassays and Gesamp-Based Hazard Profiling of Oil Field Chemical Additives: Acute, Chronic, and Sub-Lethal Effects on Freshwater and Marine Organisms

2026-02-08T00:29:46+00:00

Oilfield chemical additives (OFCAs) played a critical role in petroleum exploration and production, particularly in corrosion control, demulsification, scale control, and microbial management. Although they were important for industrial processes, their discharge into water bodies via runoff and accidental losses posed ecological and human health risks. Traditional environmental risk analyses were heavily based on acute toxicity measures, particularly 96-hour lethal concentration (LC)₅₀ values, which did not sufficiently reflect the ecological significance of chronic and low-level exposures. The use of acute toxicity categorizations as indicators of sublethal biological impairment and overall environmental risk was therefore not fully addressed. This paper presented a critical synthesis of existing bioassay data to assess the relationship between acute toxicity categories and chronic and sublethal biological outcomes of OFCAs, with the objective of improving hazard characterization beyond LC₅₀-centric regulatory frameworks. A systematic review of published aquatic toxicity studies from 1992 to 2018 was conducted using the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) hazard profiling framework. Bioassay data were compiled for major classes of OFCAs using Oreochromis niloticus, a freshwater teleost model, and Palaemonetes africanus, a crustacean sentinel species. Key toxicity endpoints were compared and analyzed, including LC₅₀, No-Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC), Lowest Observed Effect Concentration (LOEC), and various sublethal endpoints such as growth, reproduction, and developmental impairment. The GESAMP hazard classifications (A1, D3) were applied. The synthesis indicated that marine and crustacean species were consistently more sensitive than freshwater fish. High acute hazards were commonly associated with biocides and demulsifiers, while chronic toxicity thresholds were often one or two orders of magnitude lower than lethal concentrations. Extensive sublethal effects, including growth inhibition, reproductive impairment, and developmental abnormalities, were observed. The substantial difference between acute lethality and chronic toxicity classifications indicated a major underestimation of long-term ecological risk when LC₅₀ values were used alone. These findings demonstrated that environmental risks associated with OFCAs were predominantly chronic and sublethal rather than exclusively acute and lethal. This supported the adoption of precautionary, species-sensitive, and multi-endpoint hazard assessment frameworks that incorporated chronic toxicity measures into regulatory decision-making processes. Moving beyond LC₅₀-based approaches enhanced ecological risk characterization and strengthened environmental protection strategies in oil-producing regions, particularly in vulnerable aquatic ecosystems such as those in the Niger Delta.

The Role of Local Stakeholders in the Development of Smart Tourism Destinations: Evidence from Kota Lama Semarang, Indonesia

2026-03-05T04:28:06+00:00

The success of implementing the Smart Tourism Destination (STD) dimension is determined by the ability of local planning authorities to adopt technological innovations in building a smart ecosystem. However, the flexible use of technology in planning has resulted in a lack of conceptual clarity. This condition raises questions about whether a destination can be classified as a Smart Tourism Destination solely through technological adoption, or whether such innovations fail to address urban problems and eventually remain unused. Therefore, the implementation of the STD dimension should begin with the formulation of definitions and characteristics aligned with local capacities. The concept of STD emphasizes interaction among stakeholders as a key element in the development of tourism activities. This study employs a qualitative descriptive approach to understand the actual conditions of actors, their roles, and the interaction patterns that shape tourism activities in Kota Lama Semarang. The transformation of interactions among local stakeholders within tourism destinations into the Smart Tourism Destination framework is expected to contribute to the formulation of development strategies for the Kota Lama Semarang tourism area. Considering that the implementation of a Smart Tourism Destination must be adapted to regional characteristics, financial capacity, and human resource capabilities in adopting technological innovation, this study seeks to identify the stakeholders involved in the STD ecosystem at a fundamental level. The study aims to ensure that technological innovation remains aligned with the primary objective of a Smart Tourism Destination, namely enhancing the quality of experience for all actors involved in tourism activities.

Evaluation of Soil Organic Carbon in Gana, Saniko and Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria

2026-03-05T04:28:05+00:00

The restoration of mangroves was essential for implementing climate change mitigation strategies. Deforestation, forest degradation, and global warming increased the amount of greenhouse gases released from the soil, which contributed to climate change. The impact of forest restoration and regenerative farming techniques was thus hindered by the absence of adequate data on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the Niger Delta region, which was vulnerable to soil degradation as a result of crude oil activities. Therefore, the quantification of SOC in Gana, Saniko, and Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North of Delta State, Nigeria, was carried out to address this challenge. The findings indicated that Agbarha-Otor had the highest mean value of 1.1232 g/cm³, while Gana had the lowest mean soil bulk density (0.7764 g/cm³). A similar pattern was observed for the organic matter content, with Agbarha-Otor recording the highest mean value of 4.14% and Gana having the lowest mean soil organic matter content (2.03%). In Gana, Saniko, and Agbarha-Otor, the estimated levels of SOC ranged from 31.33 to 136.81 t C/ha. The results of this study would help policymakers develop measures that were suitable for the conservation of soil carbon.

Climate-Resilient Solution for Drinking Water Management Through Atmospheric Water Harvesting: A Systematic Case Study of Atmospheric Water Generation Deployment in Zambia Using Monte Carlo Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis

2026-03-05T04:28:04+00:00

Southern Africa, specifically Zambia, was still faced with the challenge of water scarcity coupled with climate variability, which posed a significant threat to access to safe potable water. Due to the lack of adequate supply systems, there was a growing need for decentralized and climate-resilient systems. One alternative system was Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG); however, the existing literature on AWG usability was largely centered on machine specifications, with limited insight into its feasibility within specific climatic and demographic contexts. Accordingly, this study assessed the community-scale feasibility of AWG deployment in Zambia by integrating climate variability, population demand, and uncertainty into a unified planning framework. Monthly temperature and relative humidity data were integrated with ward-level population statistics and manufacturer performance specifications of an HPT3000 AWG unit. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) was applied to propagate uncertainty in climate, demand, and system performance, while seasonal risk indices were used to quantify reliability. Relative humidity (r = 0.95) and temperature (r = −0.24) demonstrated significant influence, generating 17–29% of the minimum potable water demand per ward. The output dropped by more than 80% during dry months due to seasonal variation, implying strong climatic sensitivity, while MCS showed a 52.1% probability of failing to meet 10% of the baseline potable water demand. The findings demonstrated that AWG was unsuitable as a sole water source but could potentially be used as a climate-conditioned auxiliary system when strategically positioned to complement risk-based, decentralized water planning under hydro-climatic uncertainty.