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Summary: Soil aggregates are in some soils and their horizons covered by organomineral coatings, which may significantly influence water and solute transfer into the aggregates. Knowledge of a coating occurrence, their structure and hydraulic properties is required for a more precise description of water flow and contaminant transport in soils. The aim of this study was to describe hydraulic properties of clay and organic matter coatings in the iluvial (Bt2) horizon of Haplic Luvisol. Sets of 30 unsorted aggregates, 24 aggregates with mostly clay coatings and 24 aggregates with clay-organic coatings, respectively, were studied to evaluate an impact of various coating composition. The coatings were removed from a half of the aggregates of each set. First, the wetting soil–water retention curve was measured on all soil aggregates. Then the capillary rise from the saturation pan into the multiple aggregates (set of 14 or 15 aggregates) without and with coatings was measured. Numerical inversion of the measured cumulative capillary rise data using the HYDRUS-1D program were applied to estimate the saturated hydraulic conductivities of the aggregates, Ks,aggr , and their coatings, Ks,coat . Results were compared with saturated hydraulic conductivities evaluated analytically using the sorptivity method, which was proposed previously. Data of the soil–water retention curves, measured on aggregates with and without coatings, did not allow distinguishing between retention curve parameters of the soil aggregates and their coatings. Therefore the same parameters were evaluated for both. Capillary rise into the soil aggregates without coatings was always faster than into the aggregates with coatings. As result the optimized saturated hydraulic conductivities, Ks,coat , of the clay and the organic matter coatings (the average values for unsorted, mostly clay and clay-organic coatings were 3.69×10−7, 2.76×10−7 and 1.81×10−7 cmmin−1, respectively) were one to two order of magnitude lower than the saturated hydraulic conductivities, Ks,aggr , of the aggregates (the average values for corresponding aggregates were 3.87×10−6, 6.52×10−6 and 1.11×10−5 cmmin−1, respectively). Slightly variable Ks,aggr (or Ks,coat ) values were obtained for different bottom pressure heads, and the lower Ks,aggr (or Ks,coat ) values were estimated from the second run of the tests compare to the first run of tests for each set of aggregates. No statistically significant differences between Ks,coat values obtained for coatings of various compositions were found. Resulting Ks,aggr values were in the range of the values obtained analytically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The dissipation kinetics and half-lives of selected organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals and others, were systematically investigated and compared among different soil types. While some pollutants (e.g., atorvastatin, valsartan, and bisphenol S) disappeared rapidly in all the tested soils, many of them (e.g., telmisartan, memantine, venlafaxine, and azithromycin) remained persistent. Irrespective of the soil characteristics, venlafaxine showed the lowest dissipation kinetics and the longest half-lives (250 to approximately 500 days) among the stable compounds. The highest first and second-order kinetics were, however, recorded for valsartan (k 1 ; 0.262 day−1) and atorvastatin (k 2 ; 33.8 g μg−1 day−1) respectively. Nevertheless, more than 90% (i.e., DT 90) of all the rapidly dissipated compounds (i.e., atorvastatin, bisphenol S, and valsartan) disappeared from the tested soils within a short timescale (i.e., 5–36 days). Dissipation of pollutants that are more susceptible to microbial degradation (e.g., atorvastatin, bisphenol S, and valsartan) seems to be slower for soils possessing the lowest microbial biomass C (C mic) and total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA total), which also found statistically significant. Our results revealing the persistence of several organic pollutants in agricultural soils, which might impact the quality of these soils, the groundwater, and eventually on the related biota, is of high environmental significance. [Display omitted] • Dissipation of 12 organic micropollutants were investigated in 3 agricultural soils. • Dissipation trends of half of them in soils has not been studied well before. • While ATO, VAL, and BPS disappeared rapidly, MEM, VEN, and AZI remained persistent. • Dissipation of 5 compounds increased with increasing microbial abundance. • Dissipation of 3 of them decreased with increasing their sorption in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sorption of 3 pharmaceuticals, which may exist in 4 different forms depending on the solution pH (irbesartan in cationic, neutral and anionic, fexofenadine in cationic, zwitter-ionic and anionic, and citalopram cationic and neutral), in seven different soils was studied. The measured sorption isotherms were described by Freundlich equations, and the sorption coefficients, K F (for the fixed n exponent for each compound), were related to the soil properties to derive relationships for estimating the sorption coefficients from the soil properties (i.e., pedotransfer rules). The largest sorption was obtained for citalopram (average K F value for n  = 1 was 1838 cm 3  g −1 ) followed by fexofenadine ( K F  = 35.1 cm 3/n μg 1−1/n g −1 , n  = 1.19) and irbesartan ( K F  = 3.96 cm 3/n μg 1−1/n g −1 , n  = 1.10). The behavior of citalopram (CIT) in soils was different than the behaviors of irbesartan (IRB) and fexofenadine (FEX). Different trends were documented according to the correlation coefficients between the K F values for different compounds (R IRB,FEX  = 0.895, p-value<0.01; R IRB,CIT  = −0.835, p-value<0.05; R FEX,CIT  = −0.759, p-value<0.05) and by the reverse relationships between the K F values and soil properties in the pedotransfer functions. While the K F value for citalopram was positively related to base cation saturation (BCS) or sorption complex saturation (SCS) and negatively correlated to the organic carbon content (Cox), the K F values of irbesartan and fexofenadine were negatively related to BCS, SCS or the clay content and positively related to Cox. The best estimates were obtained by combining BCS and Cox for citalopram (R 2  = 93.4), SCS and Cox for irbesartan (R 2  = 96.3), and clay content and Cox for fexofenadine (R 2  = 82.9). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in soils and consequent ground-water contamination are influenced by many factors, including compound sorption on soil particles. Here we evaluate the sorption isotherms for 7 pharmaceuticals on 13 soils, described by Freundlich equations, and assess the impact of soil properties on various pharmaceuticals' sorption on soils. Sorption of ionizable pharmaceuticals was, in many cases, highly affected by soil pH. The sorption coefficient of sulfamethoxazole was negatively correlated to soil pH, and thus positively related to hydrolytic acidity and exchangeable acidity. Sorption coefficients for clindamycin and clarithromycin were positively related to soil pH and thus negatively related to hydrolytic acidity and exchangeable acidity, and positively related to base cation saturation. The sorption coefficients for the remaining pharmaceuticals (trimethoprim, metoprolol, atenolol, and carbamazepine) were also positively correlated with the base cation saturation and cation exchange capacity. Positive correlations between sorption coefficients and clay content were found for clindamycin, clarithromycin, atenolol, and metoprolol. Positive correlations between sorption coefficients and organic carbon content were obtained for trimethoprim and carbamazepine. Pedotransfer rules for predicting sorption coefficients of various pharmaceuticals included hydrolytic acidity (sulfamethoxazole), organic carbon content (trimethoprimand carbamazepine), base cation saturation (atenolol and metoprolol), exchangeable acidity and clay content (clindamycin), and soil active pH and clay content (clarithromycin). Pedotransfer rules, predicting the Freundlich sorption coefficients, could be applied for prediction of pharmaceutical mobility in soils with similar soil properties. Predicted sorption coefficients together with pharmaceutical half-lives and other imputes (e.g., soil-hydraulic, geological, hydro-geological, climatic) may be used for assessing potential ground-water contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]