Occurrence of antibiotics in eight sewage treatment plants in Beijing, China

The occurrence, removal efficiency and seasonal variation of 22 antibiotics, including eight fluoroquinolones, nine sulfonamides and five macrolides, were investigated in eight sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Beijing, China. A total of 14 antibiotics were detected in wastewater samples, with the maximum concentration being 3.1 μg L−1 in the influent samples and 1.2 μg L−1 in the effluent samples. The most frequently detected antibiotics were ofloxacin, norfloxacin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin and roxithromycin; of these, the concentration of ofloxacin was the highest in most of the influent and effluent samples. Eighteen antibiotics were detected in the sludge samples, with concentrations ranging from 1.0 × 10−1 to 2.1 × 104 μg kg−1. The dominant antibiotics found in the sludge samples were the fluoroquinolones, with ofloxacin having the highest concentration in all the sludge samples. The antibiotics could not be removed completely by the STPs, and the mean removal efficiency ranged from −34 to 72%. Of all the antibiotics, the fluoroquinolones were removed comparatively more efficiently, probably due to their adsorption to sludge. Seasonal variation of the antibiotics in the sludge samples was also studied. The concentrations of antibiotics in winter were higher than in spring and autumn. Since the total levels of the fluoroquinolones detected in the influent samples were lower than the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of 8.0 μg L−1, the residues of these antibiotics would be unlikely to have adverse effects on microorganisms involved in sewage treatment processes.

► A comprehensive study on the occurrence of antibiotics in eight STPs of Beijing. ► The antibiotics in STPs of Beijing are not eliminated completely. ► The antibiotics levels in sludge were higher in winter than other seasons. ► Total fluoroquinolones levels were lower than the PNEC for microorganisms.