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Biodegradation of Nitrilotriacetate (NTA) in Soils¹

ABSTRACT

Nitrilotriacetate (NTA) was biodegraded in a variety of soils as measured by total CO₂ and ¹⁴CO₂ production from ¹⁴C-carboxyl-NTA. Production of CO₂ and ¹⁴CO₂ followed similar patterns and suggested complete degradation of NTA; ¹⁴CO₂ production was used routinely to assay NTA dissimilation. At 40 ppm of NTA in soils receiving sewage effluent and in muck soils, maximum rates of degradation were 8 to 10 ppm/day while in mineral surface soils, they ranged from 0.5 to 6 ppm/day; the rates in subsoils were always less than for the surface soils from the same site. Degradation rates did not correlate with pH, drainage, texture, or plant cover. Rates of degradation increased from 2 to 64 ppm/day as NTA concentration was increased from 10 to 600 ppm. ¹⁴CO₂ production from NTA did not occur anaerobically and was severely limited under microaerophilic conditions. NTA was degraded at 24 and 12.5C; it was also degraded at 2C if previously acclimatized at 12.5C. Iminodiacetate was a possible intermediate in NTA degradation while N-methyliminodiacetate was not.

¹ Contribution from the Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences and of Microbiology and Public Health, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, Mich. 48824. Published as Journal Article no. 6334 of the Mich. Agr. Exp. Sta. Supported in part by a grant from Procter and Gamble Co.

² Associate Professor of Soil Microbiology and Research Technician, respectively.

Received for publication August 25, 1973. Accepted for publication November 21, 1973.