The influence of different antimony (Sb) compounds and ageing on bioavailability and fractionation of antimony in two dissimilar soils

Assessing the bioavailability of various Sb substances plays a crucial role in human health and the ecological risk assessment of contaminated soils. However, fate, behaviour and bioavailability of different Sb compounds in soils are insufficiently known. Therefore, in this present study, the effects of soil properties and ageing on bioavailability of four different Sb compounds (C₈H₄K₂O₁₂Sb₂, Sb₂S₃, Sb₂O₃ and Sb₂O₃ nanoparticles) were evaluated during 120 days ageing time. A black soil (BS) with approximately 12% organic matter (OM) and a red soil (RS) with less than 1% OM were amended with 1000 mg Sb kg⁻¹ of different Sb compounds and subjected to single extractions with distilled (DI) water, 2M HNO₃, Simplified Bioaccessibility Extraction Test (SBET) and a modified Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction method. The results revealed that there are substantial variations in dissolution rate of various Sb sources, depending upon soil type and Sb compound. The amounts of DI water extractability of Sb during the incubation time varied between <1% and 2%, whereas HNO₃ extractable fractions and Sb bioaccessibility at the end of ageing time ranged between about 1%-3% and <1%–9% of the total Sb, with maximum bioaccessibility observed in BS contaminated with C₈H₄K₂O₁₂Sb₂. The residual and labile fractions accounted for 77–93% and 0.1–4% of the total Sb, respectively, indicating that Sb is mostly associated with recalcitrant fractions of the soils. The results of single and sequential extraction studies revealed that source of Sb, ageing time and soil properties can greatly affect the bioavailability of Sb in soils. The findings of this research provide a deeper understanding of the potential risks associated with Sb compounds and highlights the role of site-specific considerations for improving the robustness of toxicity guidelines and long-term management of Sb contaminated sites.