Effects of surfactants on the adsorption of norfloxacin onto ferrihydrite: comparison between anionic and cationic surfactants

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ABSTRACT There is little information on how widespread surfactants affect the adsorption of norfloxacin (NOR) onto iron oxide minerals. In order to elucidate the effects of various surfactants on the adsorption characteristics of NOR onto typical iron oxides, we have explored the different influences of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), an anionic surfactant, and didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), a cationic surfactant, on the interactions between NOR and ferrihydrite under different solution chemistry conditions. Interestingly, SDBS facilitated NOR adsorption, whereas DDAB inhibited NOR adsorption. The adsorption-enhancement effect of SDBS was ascribed to the enhanced electrostatic attraction, the interactions between the adsorbed SDBS on ferrihydrite surfaces and NOR molecules, and the bridging effect of SDBS between NOR and iron oxide. In comparison, the adsorption-inhibition effect of DDAB owning to the adsorption site competitive adsorption between NOR and DDAB for the effective sites as well as the steric hindrance between NOR-DDAB complexes and the adsorbed DDAB on ferrihydrite surfaces. Additionally, the magnitude of the effects of surfactants on NOR adsorption declined with increasing pH values from 5.0 to 9.0, which was related to the amounts of surfactant binding to ferrihydrite surfaces. Moreover, when the background electrolyte was Ca2+, the enhanced effect of SDBS on NOR adsorption was caused by the formation of NOR-Ca2+-SDBS complexes. The inhibitory effect of DDAB was due to the DDAB coating on ferrihydrite, which undermined the cation-bridging effect. Together, the findings from this work emphasize the essential roles of widely existing surfactants in controlling the environmental fate of quinolone antibiotics.