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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306795
Title: Influence of soil properties and test conditions on sorption and desorption of testosterone

Author
item ZHANG, TIAN - University Of Nebraska
item MA, RUI - Non ARS Employee
item BARTELT-HUNT, SHANNON - University Of Nebraska
item QI, YONG - University Of Nebraska
item KRANZ, WILLIAM - University Of Nebraska
item SNOW, DANIEL - University Of Nebraska
item MADER, TERRY - University Of Nebraska
item SHAPIRO, CHARLES - University Of Nebraska
item SHELTON, DAVID - University Of Nebraska
item VAN DONK, SIMON - University Of Nebraska
item Tarkalson, David
item ENSLEY, STEVE - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/8/2014
Publication Date: 1/20/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61546
Citation: Zhang, T.C., Ma, R., Bartelt-Hunt, S.L., Qi, Y., Kranz, W.L., Snow, D.D., Mader, T.L., Shapiro, C.A., Shelton, D.P., Van Donk, S.J., Tarkalson, D.D., Ensley, S. 2015. Influence of soil properties and test conditions on sorption and desorption of testosterone. Journal of Environmental Engineering. 141(7). doi:10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000937.

Interpretive Summary: In this study, batch sorption and desorption experiments were conducted for testosterone using four agricultural soils and five clay minerals. Results show that temperature, ionic strength, water to soil ratio, clay content and soil organic matter are important variables in predicting testosterone sorption and/or desorption behavior. Thermodynamic calculations showed weak interactions between testosterone and soil. Desorption significantly increased as soil depth increased as the water to soil ratio increased. Temperature had an inverse effect on the sorption capacity of the soils tested. Additional studies are needed to determine the influence of soil particle size fractions on the fate and transport of testosterone in leachate and runoff.

Technical Abstract: In this study, batch sorption and desorption experiments were conducted for testosterone using four agricultural soils and five clay minerals. Significant differences in sorption behavior were observed between abiotic and biotic systems. The Freundlich sorption coefficient Kf (µg per g)/(µg per mL) ranged from 8.53 to 74.46 for soils and from 35.28 to 1243 for clays. The maximum sorption capacity (µg per g) of soils ranged from 25.25 to 440.61 for soils and 168.46 to 499.84 for clays. Correlation of sorption model parameters with soil properties indicated that both clay content and soil organic matter are important variables in predicting testosterone sorption behavior. Observed testosterone desorption from agricultural soils ranged from approximately 14 to 100 percent after 3 desorption cycles, and the desorption percentage decreased as the initial testosterone concentration decreased. Temperature, ionic strength, the water/soil ratio and soil depth were determined to influence sorption and desorption of testosterone. Desorption significantly increase with the soil depth and with the increase in the water to soil ratio. Temperature had an inverse effect on the sorption capacity of the soils tested. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the enthalpy change of the soils tested were the range of 12.9-20.7 kJ per mol, indicating weak interaction between testosterone and soil. Our results suggest that additional studies on how soil particles with different size fractions affect hormones fate and transport are needed in order to determine the potential risk of testosterone leaching or runoff.