Transport of sulfanilamide in saturated porous media under different solution chemistry conditions: role of physicochemical characteristics of soils

Identification of the transport of sulfonamide antibiotics in soils facilitates a better understanding of the environmental fate and behaviors of these ubiquitous contaminants. In this study, the mobility properties of sulfanilamide (SNM, a typical sulfonamide antibiotic) through saturated soils with different physicochemical characteristics were investigated. The results showed that the physicochemical characteristics controlled SNM mobility. Generally, the mobility of SNM was positively correlated with CEC values and soil organic matter content, which was mainly related to the interactions between the organic matter in soils and SNM molecules via π-π stacking, H-bonding, ligand exchange, and hydrophobic interaction. Furthermore, higher clay mineral content and lower sand content were beneficial for restraining SNM transport in the soils. Unlike Na, Cu ions could act as bridging agents between the soil grains and SNM molecules, contributing to the relatively weak transport of SNM. Furthermore, the trend of SNM mobility in different soil columns was unaffected by solution pH (5.0–9.0). Meanwhile, for a given soil, the SNM mobility was promoted as the solution pH values increased, which was caused by the enhanced electrostatic repulsion between SNM species and soil particles as well as the declined hydrophobic interaction between SNM and soil organic matter. The obtained results provide helpful information for the contribution of soil physicochemical characteristics to the transport behaviors of sulfonamide antibiotics in soil-water systems.