Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have received growing attentions in recent years as emerging contaminants for their persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. So far, there are few published reports of PPCPs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China, because the analysis of PPCPs in WWTPs represents a difficult task due to the high complexity of the wastewater and sludge matrices. To date, most studies focus on the analysis of PPCPs present in wastewater and could only obtain the apparent removal of some PPCPs; whereas the fate and mass load of multiple PPCPs in both wastewater and sludge in WWTPs are rarely reported. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the occurrence and behavior of multiple PPCPs in a long-term scale in different WWTPs. It is important to perform mass balance analysis to clarify the fate of PPCPs and to explore their potential removal pathways. Moreover, it is essential to assess the ecological risks induced by residual PPCPs to aquatic environment based on calculated risk quotients (RQs).
      A highly selective and sensitive analytical method was developed for simultaneous determination of nine types of thirty PPCPs in both wastewater and sludge. Ultrasonic solvent extraction (USE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were applied in sequence for the exhaustive extraction and pre-concentration of target PPCPs and the cleanup of complex matrix. Thirty PPCPs were then separated and analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Four internal standards were applied for the precise quantification of target PPCPs. The calibration curves, absolute recoveries, inter-day and intra-day precisions and the limits of detection and quantification were all determined. The developed method demonstrated its selectivity, sensitivity, and reliability for detecting multiple-class pharmaceuticals in complex matrices such as municipal wastewater and sludge. Subsequently, this method was validated and applied for residual pharmaceuticals analysis in a WWTP located in Beijing, China. Up to 27 and 21 PPCPs were detected in all the wastewater and sludge samples.
      The occurrence, seanal variations and removal efficiencies of 30 PPCPs of multiple classes were investigated in five WWTPs from three cities, including A/A/O-MBBR, C-Orbal OD, A/A/O and MBR processes. A total of 27 and 21 pharmaceuticals were detected in wastewater and sludge, and the average concentrations of the influent, secondary effluent and sludge were in the range of 0.99~19.53 μg/L, 0.55~523.79 ng/L and 2.44~12130 μg/kg, respectively. Target PPCPs showed obvious temporal and spatial trends. The seasonal variations were detected in the influents from different WWTPs, and the concentrations of target PPCPs in the influent changed a lot in different regions. The removal efficiencies of target PPCPs in both WWTPs varied largely from “negative” to 99.9%, depending on the wastewater treatment process adopted, the operational parameters (SRT, HRT, and pH), their physicochemical properties, the sampling method used and the climate conditions.  
      The fate and mass load of target PPCPs were studied in two typical WWTPs (referred as Plant A and Plant B) located in Wuxi City. The mass balance analysis was performed to clarify the fate of target PPCPs and to explore their potential removal pathways. The removal of the total mass load of target pharmaceuticals in Plant A reached 94.3%, much higher than the 84.5% removal in Plant B. The removal efficiencies of the primary and tertiary treatment were generally low in both WWTPs, most of the target PPCPs were removed in the biological treatment processes. MBBR to some extent strengthened the removal of the biological treatment, and longer SRT in Plant A also improve the removal efficiencies of target PPCPs. Mass balance analysis showed that biodegradation primarily accounted for the removal of SAs, most MLs, and Others,  while  adsorption  onto   sludge  was  the  primary  removal pathway for FQs, TCs, and AZN during biological treatment.
     Finally, considering  the safety on the  discharge of WWTPs  effluent and sludge, the  potential ecological  risks  of  the effluent  and  sludge in  different  WWTPs  were comprehensively assessed.  Results indicated that  five PPCPs (SMX,  OLF, CIP, CLA and ERY-H2O) in the effluent, one  compound (OLF) in the sludge, and the mixture  of all target  PPCPs  in both  effluent and  sludge  could pose  a high  risk to  algae in  the aquatic environment.  The degradation  of target  PPCPs  in the  secondary effluent  by UV,  UV/H2O2, O3  and  O3/H2O2 treatments  were  investigated in  this  study. Results showed O3  and O3/H2O2 treatments  achieved great  effects on target  PPCPs removal, especially on the high risk compounds. With the  O3 dose of 7.5 mg/L, more than 90% of  majority PPCPs  could  be  eliminated by  O3  and  O3/H2O2  treatments, exhibiting better  removal  performance  than  UV  and  UV/H2O2  treatments.  This  study  helps understand the occurrence, behavior and fate of PPCPs in different WWTPs as well as the ecological risks induced  by effluent discharge and sludge disposal, thus  providing useful information for better control of micro-pollutants in WWTPs.