Sorption of tetracycline and chlortetracycline on K- and Ca-saturated soil clays, humic substances, and clay-humic complexes

Tetracycline (TC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) are used extensively for growth promotion and therapeutic purposes in livestock production. The sorption of TC and CTC on clays, humic substances (HS), and clay-humic complexes (clay-HC) derived from two agricultural soils was quantified using dilute CaCl2 (Ca) and KCl (K) as background solutions. In all systems, the soil components sorbed > 96% of added tetracyclines. Strongest sorption was observed for clays, followed by HS, and then clay-HC. Greater sorption by the Ca systems than the K systems and decreased sorption with increasing pH suggests that cation bridging and cation exchange contribute to sorption. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that TC and CTC were sorbed in the interlayers of smectites and that the presence of HS reduced interlayer sorption of tetracyclines by smectites in clay-HC. The results indicate that tetracyclines are dominantly sorbed on soil clays and that HS in clay-HC either mask sorption sites on clay surfaces or inhibit interlayer diffusion of tetracyclines.