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Insights into sorption and leaching behavior of sulfadiazine in soil as affected by humic acid

  • Soils, Sec 3 • Remediation and Management of Contaminated or Degraded Lands • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Sulfonamides with high mobility in the soil pose a significant threat to environmental ecology and human health. Organic matter is known to affect the sorption and transport of these antibiotics in soil, although the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the effects of humic acid (HA) on the transport of sulfadiazine (SDZ) in soil were investigated to advance the understanding on the fate of SDZ in soil.

Materials and methods

Column experiments were conducted in combination with batch sorption experiments. The sorption and transport of SDZ in soil were simulated by the convection–dispersion model coupled with a linear sorption isotherm and kinetic adsorption processes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate the molecular interactions and mechanisms of sorption.

Results and discussion

The sorption isotherms conformed to a linear model with low distribution coefficients (Kd = 9.84 L/kg). Increasing the HA content led to increased sorption and inhibited transport of SDZ in soil. The sorption of SDZ on HA decreased with increasing pH and decreasing ionic strength. The mechanisms mainly comprised hydrophobic partition, hydrogen bonding, complexation, and π-π interactions. Mineral clays also played an important role in the sorption of SDZ on soil. The sorption and transport of SDZ were adequately described by the model, which demonstrated that as the HA content of the soil increased, the sorption capacity for SDZ and proportion of the time-dependent kinetic adsorption process both increased. Retained SDZ could also release slowly into the surrounding medium posing a longer-term risk to the environment.

Conclusions

Humic acid increases the retention of SDZ in soil due to its high sorption capacity for SDZ. The sorption of SDZ on HA is dependent on solution chemistry such as pH and ionic strength. However, the retained SDZ would release slowly into the soil solution later. Thus, time-dependent sorption should be prioritized over sorption capacity in studies assessing the environmental fate and eco-toxicity of SDZ.

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Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41807010) and National Key R & D Program of China under Grant No. 2016YFC0402807.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Qing Lin, Boliang Li, Xiaowen Liu, Budi Zhang & Shaohui Xu

Authors
  1. Qing Lin
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  2. Boliang Li
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  3. Xiaowen Liu
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  4. Budi Zhang
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  5. Shaohui Xu
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Contributions

QL designed the study and wrote the manuscript; BLL conducted the data analysis of sorption and transport experiments; XWL conducted the data analysis of FTIR; BDZ conducted sorption and transport experiments; and SHX provided advice on the design of the research and reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shaohui Xu.

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Responsible editor: Yanzheng Gao

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Lin, Q., Li, B., Liu, X. et al. Insights into sorption and leaching behavior of sulfadiazine in soil as affected by humic acid. J Soils Sediments 22, 809–817 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03110-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03110-x

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