Characteristics of oxytetracycline sorption and potential bioavailability in soils with various physical–chemical properties

Veterinary antibiotics are widely used for disease treatment, prevention and animal growth promoting. Frequent detection of veterinary antibiotics in environments, caused by land application of untreated or even treated antibiotics-containing animal wastes, has posed the growing concern of their adverse effect on natural ecosystems. Oxytetracycline (OTC) is one of the most widely-used veterinary antibiotics in livestock industry. OTC present as a cation, zwitterions, or net negatively charged ion in soils complicates predicting its sorption characteristics and potential bioavailability and toxicity. This study was to identify soil properties influencing OTC sorption and its subsequent bioavailability in five soils with various physical–chemical properties. A solution used to determine bioavailable analytes in soils and sediments, 1 M MgCl2 (pH 8.5), was chosen to desorb the potentially bioavailable fraction of OTC sorbed onto soils. Our results demonstrated that soils with higher illite content and permanent cation exchange capacity have higher OTC sorption capacity, but increase the availability of sorbed OTC indicated by higher release of sorbed OTC from soils into aqueous phase in 1 M MgCl2 (pH 8.5). Reversely, soil organic matter (SOM), clay, kaolinite, variable cation exchange capacity, DCB-Fe and -Al have lower OTC sorption capacity, but decrease the release of sorbed OTC from soils into 1 M MgCl2. These findings indicate that SOM and clay greatly influence OTC adsorption and potential availability. This study contributes significantly to our understanding of the potential bioavailability of sorbed OTC and the effects of soil properties on OTC sorption behaviors in soils.

► Oxytetracycline (OTC) contamination in soil has growingly posed concern.
► OTC sorption and its bioavailability are greatly affected by soil properties.
► Soil organic matter, clay, kaolinite tightly bind OTC onto soils in 1 M MgCl2.
► Illite has higher OTC sorption capacity, but easily release OTC into 1 M MgCl2.