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Biochemistry and physiology of the degradation of nitrilotriacetic acid and other metal complexing agents

  • Chapter
Biochemistry of microbial degradation

Abstract

Synthetic organic, metal-sequestering compounds, such as the aminopoly-carboxylic acids (mainly EDTA and NTA) or the organophosphonic acids HEDP or ATMP, are included in a wide range of different consumer products. Approximately 20% of the total amount produced is used in household detergents to prevent precipitation of bivalent ions from washing suds thereby avoiding deposition of scale on both textile fibers and washing machine parts and to support performance of surfactants (also known as tensides). The rest is used in various other applications such as water treatment, descaling of boilers, in the photographic industry, in agricultural fertilizers, in the dying of textiles, during pulp and paper production, for metal finishing and rubber processing, or in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics (McCrary and Howard 1979; Chemical Economics Handbook Program 1983; Egli 1988).

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Abbreviations

ATMP:

Aminotrimethylphoshonate [N(CH2PO3H2)3]

DTPA:

Diethylenetriaminepentaacetate [(CH2COOH)2NC2H4N(CH2COOH)C2H4N(CH2COOH)2]

DTPMP:

Diethylenetriaminepentamethylphosphonate [(CH2PO3H2)2NC2H4N(CH2PO3H2)C2H4N(CH2PO3H2)2]

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetate [(CH2COOH)2NC2H4N(CH2COOH)2]

EDTMP:

Ethylenediaminetetramethylphosphonate [(CH2PO3H2)2NC2H4N(CH2PO3H2)2]

FAD:

Flavin adenine dinucleotide

FMN:

Flavin mononucleotide

HEDP:

Hydroxyethylidenedisphosphonate [HOC(PO3H2)2CH3]

HEDTA:

Hydroxyethylidenedisphosphonate [(CH2COOH)2NC2H4N(CH2COOH)(CH2CH2OH)]

IDA:

iminodiacetate [HN(CH2COOH)2]

IDA-DH:

Imminodiacetate dehydrogenase

NTA:

Nitrilotriacetate [N(CH2COOH)3]

NTA-DH - NTA:

dehydrogenase

NTA-MO - NTA:

monooxygenase

NtrR:

Nitrate reductase

PMS:

phenazine methosulfate

SDS-PAGE:

sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

STP:

pentasodiumtriphosphate

Qn :

Ubiquinone (with n isoprene units in the side chain)

μmax :

maximum specific growth rate (h-1)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland

    Thomas Egli

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  1. Department of Applied Biology, University of Hull, Hull, UK

    Colin Ratledge

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Egli, T. (1994). Biochemistry and physiology of the degradation of nitrilotriacetic acid and other metal complexing agents. In: Ratledge, C. (eds) Biochemistry of microbial degradation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1687-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1687-9_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4738-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1687-9

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