Antibiotics discharged into the environment cause increased environmental resistance. Four types of antibiotics (quinolones, tetracyclines, macrolides, and β-lactams) were selected for this study. In a comparison with the municipal wastewater plant, the concentration and removal of antibiotics in influent and effluent of domestic wastewater treatment facilities of different scales in villages and towns was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS). The results showed that the highest amount of ofloxacin in rural wastewater treatment facilities reached 32663.5 ng·L-1. Due to the different situations of influent fluctuation, discharge requirements, and management between urban and rural wastewater plants, only 33% of the rural domestic wastewater facilities detected an antibiotics removal rate of more than 60%. The effective removal of some antibiotics can be achieved when the rural domestic wastewater treatment facilities maintain the standard discharge of conventional pollutants.
Keywords: antibiotic; concentration distribution; domestic wastewater treatment facilities; removal rate; rural.