Sustainable Environmental Insight

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

Tran Van An — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

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

Kuok Ho Daniel Tang — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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

Nguyen Van Thanh, Pham Thuong Giang, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.