| Author | Antonio, Isaiah Josef B. |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.WM-26-03 |
| Subject(s) | Microplastics--Chao Phraya River Basin--Thailand
Hydrologic models
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Water Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The mismanagement of plastic wastes is commonly overlooked, resulting to its widespread circulation around the environment and the eventual contamination of riverine systems. As a result of the fragmentation and degradation of plastic waste, microplastic (MP) is ubiquitously present and poses harmful effects to humans, animals, and the ecosystem. The study area, Chao Phraya River Basin (CPRB), is considered to be an important river basin however researches report that the quality of water has been deteriorating. It is also recognized as a major sink for pollutants, thereby being an avenue for MP to accumulate and to circulate. Understanding the transport dynamics of microplastic is essential for improving assessments and developing effective mitigation strategies.The study evaluated the role of riverine hydrological and hydraulics factors in microplastic pollution, with specific objectives that contribute to the main objective. The specific objectives included temporally quantifying microplastic concentrations, analyzing the influence of riverine factors in transportation and concentration, and also identifying hotspot areas. The river modeling utilized different datasets from various researches and government agencies. Microplastic Rating Curve was employed to generate daily time-step data for the microplastic concentration.The research revealed that the study area has an average Microplastic Concentration value of 1236.54 ± 515.39 (particles per cubic meter). Various variables, such as velocity, discharge, cross-sectional area, and hydraulic radius are positively correlated to the variation of microplastic concentration and transportation in the river. However, discharge and velocity exhibit inverse relationships with microplastic concentration. Temporally, dry season generated higher microplastic accumulation and lesser fluctuations throughout the study area. Spatially, the downstream portions yielded to being the high clustered locations while the upstream portions resulted to being low clustered locations, attributed to the downstream parts being around urbanized locations. |
| Year | 2026 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2026) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Water Engineering and Management (WEM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shrestha, Sangam |
| Examination Committee(s) | Xue, Wenchao;Shanmugam, Mohana Sundaram;Hassan, Nurul Husna Binti |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AIT Scholarship |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026 |
