Different removal behaviours of multiple trace antibiotics in municipal wastewater chlorination

• CTX, CLX, AMP, and TC were completely removed under initial FC dosages of 5–15 mg/L.
• Ammonia plays a critical role in antibiotic removal during chlorination process.
• FC dosage over breakpoint is required to remove SMX, SDZ, ROX, ERY-H2O, OFL, and TMP.
• NOR and CIP exhibited relatively higher reactivity towards combined chlorine.
• SS in the secondary effluent has no significant effect on the antibiotic removal.

The chlorination behaviours of 12 antibiotics belonging to six classes at environmentally relevant concentrations were systematically examined under typical conditions relevant to municipal wastewater chlorination. Cefotaxime, cefalexin, ampicillin and tetracycline were completely removed under all three initial free chlorine dosages (5 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and 15 mg/L). The removal efficiencies of sulphamethoxazole, sulphadiazine, roxithromycin, anhydro-erythromycin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim were closely correlated to the residual free chlorine concentration, and no further significant mass removal was observed after the residual free chlorine concentration decreased to less than ∼0.75 mg/L. Ammonia plays a critical role during chlorination because of its competition with antibiotics for free chlorine to form combined chlorine, which reacts slowly with these antibiotics. Except for norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, the removal behaviours of the 10 other target antibiotics under ammonia nitrogen concentrations ranging from 2 to 15 mg/L were characterised by a rapid initial removal rate upon contact with free chlorine during the first 5 s–1 min (depending on the specific antibiotic and ammonia nitrogen concentration) and then a much slower removal rate. Free chlorine was responsible for the reaction with antibiotics during the rapid stage (first 5 s–1 min), whereas combined chlorine reacted with antibiotics in the subsequent slow stage. Combined chlorine can remove norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin at a relatively faster rate. The presence of suspended solids at 30 mg/L slightly decreased the antibiotic removal rate. The kinetic rate constants decreased by 2.1–13.9%, while the half-lives increased by 2.0–15.0% compared to those of a 0 mg/L suspended solid for the target antibiotics.

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