Effects of pH and ionic strength on sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin transport in saturated porous media

Many antibiotics regarded as emerging contaminants have been frequently detected in soils and groundwater; however, their transport behaviors in soils remain largely unknown. This study examined the transport of two antibiotics, sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and ciprofloxacin (CIP), in saturated porous media. Laboratory columns packed with quartz sand was used to test the effects of solution pH and ionic strength (IS) on their retention and transport. The results showed that these two antibiotics behaved differently in the saturated sand columns. In general, SMZ manifested a much higher mobility than CIP for all experimental conditions tested. Almost all SMZ transported through the columns within one pore volume in deionized water (i.e., pH = 5.6, IS = 0), but no CIP was detected in the effluents under the same condition after extended column flushing. Perturbations in solution pH (5.6 and 9.5) and IS (0 and 0.1 M) showed no effect on SMZ transport in the saturated columns. When pH increased to 9.5, however, ~ 93% of CIP was eluted from the sand columns. Increase of IS from 0 to 0.1 M also slightly changed the distribution of adsorbed CIP within the sand column at pH 5.6, but still no CIP was detected in the effluents. A mathematical model based on advection–dispersion equation coupled with equilibrium and kinetic reactions successfully simulated the transport of the antibiotics in water-saturated porous media with R2 = 0.99.

Research highlights
► Transport dynamics ofsulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacinin sand columns were investigated under various conditions.
► Sulfamethoxazole manifested a much higher mobility than ciprofloxacin in the saturated porous media.
► Models based on the advection-dispersion equation coupled with equilibrium and kinetic reactions matched experimental data well.