Sorption of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by soil influences its fate and transport in the environment. The presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) may complicate the sorption process in soil. The effects of DOM from sewage sludge on TBBPA sorption by three soils were investigated using batch equilibration experiments in the study. DOM was observed to be sorbed on the soils and the isotherms could be fitted by the Langmuir model. The effects of DOM on TBBPA sorption were dependent on the characteristics of soils and the concentrations of DOM present. TBBPA sorption by Henan (HN) soil (sandy loam) and Liaoning (LN) soil (loamy clay) was promoted in the presence of DOM at low concentration ( 90 mg organic carbon (OC)/L), and the sorption was promoted by HN soil and inhibited by LN soil at DOM added concentration of 180 mg OC/L. TBBPA sorption by Guangxi (GX) soil (silt loam) was always inhibited in the presence of DOM. It was also found that the amount of TBBPA sorbed decreased with the increase in the solution pH value in the absence of DOM. The influencing mechanisms of DOM on the sorption of TBBPA by soils were also discussed.
