The addition of nano zero-valent iron during compost maturation effectively removes intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes by reducing the abundance of potential host bacteria

•nZVI was adopted for the first time to remove ARGs at the maturation stage of composting.•The addition of nZVI reduced iARGs and eARGs in composting by 51–99%.•The removal of iARGs was due to the decreased abundance of host bacteria and intI1.•The addition of nZVI improved the quality of the compost.