1995 Volume 58 Issue 2 Pages 104-108
The metal chelates of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta) are not readily biodegradable. An attempt was made to isolate microorganisms which degraded chelating compounds such as edta from natural environment. Strain B-3 isolated from Fe (III) edta-containing soils was found to have the ability to degrade Fe (III) edta. A rate of degradation obserbed for NH4Fe (III) edta as the substrate was 52%, at 30°C with constant shaking for 3 days. Based on the numerical taxonomical studies, the strain was identified as Bacillus species. The three type cultures of Bacillus species also degraded Fe (III) edta. The degradation rates were dependent on species.
