Influence of coexisting contaminants on the sorption of 17-estradiol by marine sediments

The adsorption behavior of 17-estradiol (E2) on marine sediments treated by different methods was investigated in the presence of bisphenol A (BPA), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), nonionic surfactant polyoxyethylene (80) sorbitan esters (Tween 80) and anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). Four sets of experiments were conducted to determine the adsorption isotherms of E2 with coexisting contaminants, to explore the effects of concentrations and types of coexisting contaminants on the E2 adsorption capacity, and to examine the influence of pH on E2 adsorption on the sediments. The adsorption behavior of E2 to marine sediments without the addition of surfactant mainly related to organic carbon content of sediments and fitted well with the Freundlich model. The presence of CTAB or Tween 80 enhanced the adsorption capacity of E2 of marine sediments. In contrast, the presence of BPA, DBP and SDBS inhibited the adsorption capacity of E2. The pH value of the solution could influence the adsorption behavior of E2 of the marine sediments. A decline in pH values was beneficial to the adsorption of E2 with the addition of surfactants.