(An)aerobic breakdown of chelating agents used in household detergents.

One of the main causes of the world-wide eutrophication of rivers and lakes is the extensive use of phosphate in both detergents and agricultural fertilizers. Partial or total substitution of phosphates in household detergents by other compounds exhibiting chelating properties has been introduced in several countries to ameliorate such problems. Various microbiological aspects of the biodegradation of the complexing agents most frequently used such as aminopolycarboxylates, phosphonates, hydroxycarboxylates and polymeric polycarboxylates, as well as tripolyphosphates, are reviewed.