BACKGROUNDThe use of antibiotics on a large scale is a common practice in poultry farming. This research investigated the adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) in poultry litter samples to assess the potential risk to ecosystems due to the compound mobility. This residue is used directly dispersed in agricultural soils as a biofertilizer.RESULTSExperimental data were evaluated in terms of fits of isotherm models. The mobility of CIP was assessed by the distribution coefficient and the partition coefficient related to organic matter. The studied poultry litter presented a pH of 8.5±0.1, moisture content of 20.3±1.3 %, and total solids content of 79.8±1.2 %, with a high amount of both inorganic matter (57.1±1.7 %) and organic matter (42.9±1.7 %) content in its composition. The Redlich‐Petersen isotherm was the model that satisfactory described the experimental data, with higher maximum adsorption capacities at more alkaline pHs (pH 8.0 = 3015.0±118.0 μg g‐1, pH 7 = 2916.6±1152.9 μg g‐1 and pH 6 = 410.0±18.1 μg g‐1). The log Kd (pH 6 = 0.9, pH 7 = 1.2, and pH 8 = 1.4) and log Koc (pH 6 = 1.3, pH 7 = 1.7, and pH 8 = 1.8) values obtained for the sorption of ciprofloxacin at different pHs in poultry litter were considered low (log Koc <3.5).CONCLUSIONSThe analyte does not tend to adsorb in the poultry litter and might leach to other environmental compartments. The information obtained in this study reinforces the ecotoxicological concern about antibiotic residues in the environment.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.