Cosorption of Zn(II) and chlortetracycline onto montmorillonite: pH effects and molecular investigations

Ionic antibiotics and metals generally coexist, and their interaction can affect their sorption behaviors onto soil minerals, therefore determining their environmental hazards. This study investigated the sorption and cosorption of Zn(II) and chlortetracycline (CTC) onto montmorillonite at different solution pH (3−10) using batch experiments and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. The Langmuir model could reproduce well the sorption isotherms of Zn(II) and CTC. The presence of CTC/Zn(II) could promote the maximum sorption capacity (Qm) of Zn(II)/CTC, based on site energy distribution (SED) theory. Generally, Zn(II) sorption increased with pH increasing. Comparatively, CTC sorption decreased as pH increased till approximately pH 5.0, then increased continuously with pH increasing. Both CTC and Zn(II) co-existence enhanced their individual sorption in both acidic and neutral environments. The processes behind CTC and Zn(II) sorption mainly included cation exchange and surface complexation. The EXAFS data evidenced that the presence of CTC could alter the species of Zn(II) on montmorillonite via surface complexation at pH 4.5 and 7.5, with Zn-CTC complexes being the predominant species on montmorillonite at pH 7.5. At pH 9.5, Zn(II) may exist onto montmorillonite in precipitated form similar to Zn-Al hydrotalcite-like compound (HTlc) regardless of CTC presence.